The Blue Dragon: Book II
by Viperwatcher
Summary: The sequel to The Blue Dragon. All's well and fair...until something odd happens and changes everything. A new evil begins to grow. Can the heroes manage to save the Dragon Realms again? Prepare for an adventure. COMPLETE. R&R PLEASE.
1. Chapter 1 Prologue

**Hey guys, wassup! Viperwatcher here, with a new story. Here it is! The sequel to my**** first**** successful Spyro Fic, _The Blue Dragon_. I hope all of you guys like it! It feels great to make a sequel to a story! I hope this story is going to be successful like my two other fics!It feels good to do 3rd person again. 1st person is nice, but it's not my forte.**** Now, for the people who are new readers and are a little bit confused at what is going on, I asked a few of my friends, Richard (Yxme24), Alec (Alec the Dark Angel) and Shadow (Spyro's Bud) to provide us with a summary of the _first_ book. After some tweaking and editing, here it is. **

**Feel free to skip to the bottom if your confident and already know the TBD time line well enough.**

**Summary of _The Blue Dragon_**

Demex Windsor was a typical young human boy; all that consisted in his life were his family and school. He longed for more though, dreaming of times where he could be a legendary dragon. His dreams all dropped one day when he woke to find himself covered in dark blue scales. The realization was grand for him, he was finally a dragon, but he had no idea how to act or live like one.

As Demex woke in the middle of the forest, a couple females ran into him. Fira, a young red dragoness the same age as Demex, and Cynder; they aided Demex, learning that he knew nothing about that world. So like any other dragon at the time, they taught him to fly as best they could and then they arrived at the Temple. Introductions spread around as Spyro and the remaining Gaurdians learned who Demex was. Fira came close to Demex, becoming a great friend to him, a possible love sparking between the two at the same time it was sparking between Spyro and Cynder.

It was at this time where Malefor was rid of the dark elements that plagued him, leaving him defenseless and powerless. He was the same, but all his power was relinquished, leaving him as he was attacked by predators and as he ran for safety.

Demex was studying, learning how to use his ice element as he spotted a purple dragon obviously in need of medical attention in the courtyard. Believing it as Spyro, he ran to the dragon's side. Spyro, however, was with Cynder, their love finally being noticed, but it all impeded when Fira arrived saying that she heard a scream and Demex was nowhere to be seen. As everyone searched, they found him in the courtyard, by the purple dragon that was labeled Spyro. This dragon however, was none other than Malefor himself.

As Malefor was soon chained up and awake at the temple, he explained how he was always a normal dragon, up until the Ancients took over his body and poisoned him with the dark elements. Fira was astounded, using her ability she saw in his heart that he was speaking the truth, ability she favored often. With Demex's assistance, Malefor managed to receive everyone's trust throughout the temple. Everything was peaceful and normal.

After a good year later, Malefor was soon out and about, wearing armor and adopting the name of Redd. At this time, a dragon was waking, seeing that Demex was gone started to search for him, only to be attacked and conquered by the dark elements. Our group was making camp whilst the dragon was being attacked, and Demex fell into a deep sleep, being called by The Chronicler Ignitus.

It was here that Demex learned that he had always been a dragon in spirit, but he was teleported to the human realm by his true mother, Nomex, at the time where Cynder was ravaging the realms. He learned how he appeared on the doorstep of a house where a couple stayed, two humans by the names of Jennifer and Max. Demex also learned about his brother, Delnok, who was about the same age as Demex, received a different treatment where he was crystallized until recently, where he awoke to be controlled by the dark elements.

The group was at Warfang now, having dragged Demex all the way there. He was still asleep so Fira stayed back with him while Spyro, Cynder, and Redd all went into Warfang.

Here, Spyro met up with Ember and Flame, some good old friends, but the festivities halted as Delnok, who was assumed to be Demex, approached them. He was overtaken by the elements and was forced to attack the mass amount of dragons. Spyro, Redd, Flame, Ember, and Cynder all fought him the best they could. Delnok attacked Malefor specifically, revealing his true identity to the crowd and harming him greatly. Demex came into the story and saved Malefor, but Delnok was still attacking. Then Fira, Cynder, and Ember all tried to flank him, pinning him to the wall. The tactic worked, but it all seemed to crash as a bright flash went off…and the females and Delnok were all gone.

While the males recover, flashbacks occur and show how Demex and Fira are in love, revealing the truth to one another. It was now where Dark Delnok was tormenting Cynder, making her think of her dark days whilst Spyro was taught how to summon a portal. On his first try, he accomplished it and landed the group of males inside the Catacombs of Mount Malefor, where it was assumed the females were being held.

They soon came to where the females were being held, only to find Cynder dark and Delnok ready to kill the other females. Spyro managed to stop Cynder while Demex freed Fira. Malefor was busy attacking Dark Delnok while the others fought attacking grublins. Dark Delnok then said he was attacking Malefor's son…and fired a shot at Spyro, which Malefor took the hit. Spyro then used Convexity to end the dark rule on Delnok.

The group escaped the collapsing catacombs and make camp at Twilight Forest, where they all wonder about what transpired. It was here where Delnok and Malefor both awoke and Delnok by accident mentioning he was Malefor's son. This leads to a lot of confusion until Malefor explains that Demex, Delnok, and Spyro are all his sons. It was then that Malefor recalled how he met Nomex and fell for her, how they became in love. Delnok was born first, then Spyro a few years later, and Demex a year after that.

Demex fell asleep that night, dreaming of what was transpiring at the human realm. He saw his parents, Max and Jennifer, distressed and crying while a cop, Officer Gideon Hart, told them that Demex was nowhere to be found and the investigation had to end. When he woke, he joined the group as they left the camp and headed back to Warfang, where they then went to the Temple. Ignitus appeared and took the Gaurdians, including Malefor, explaining who he thought could be the next Guardian for fire.

After everyone was done forming the ceremony for the new Guardian, Demex was tired from all the work. He was told he could leave and go to the temple to sleep, seeing it was the middle of the night. Fira became worried, so she left after him to make sure he was okay. As Demex was walking down the path, he was attacked by a group of predators, passing out as they attacked and Fira running after him seeing this.

Demex woke the next morning to find a scar traveling diagonally against his face, going over his right eye where his vision was now blurred slightly. When he was well rested and normal again, he helped sort out dragons that signed in to join the Temple. Once he was done, he rested in the garden until he was beckoned by the Guardians to go on a favor task to recover some gems in a cavern called the Portal Caves, where the portals were dormant but not dead.

Demex went in and accidentally started one, making him travel to another world. This is where an explosion went off at the dig sight that Max was working at. After removing a hurt worker, Max found the one person he's been searching for all this time. His long lost son, Demex. Demex enjoyed his time there with his human family, but he knew he didn't belong there.

As Demex went to sleep that night, he was visited by Ignitus, the Chronicler. He was informed that his disappearance from Avalar has led to a series of tragic events that has turned up disaster, and the only cure for it all is Demex himself. He learned how he was able to change from human to dragon and vice versa. When he returned to his family, he explained how he had to leave and who he really was.

To his surprise, his family always knew, and Demex was taken to his father's dig site where the portal between worlds as Demex knew it, took him in and sent him back to where he belonged. As he arrived, he noticed by a reflection in the water that he was much older, and after a bit of time, he managed to be attacked by the one person he was dying to see; Fira.

He learned from Fira, who now saw him as Demex again, that he had been gone for about two years, which in the human world was a good two weeks. As they talked, they were interrupted by a sudden storm, which seemed to alarm Fira greatly. They made their way back to the temple, where everyone was waiting for Fira, but were greatly surprised to see Demex.

Demex then learned than in his absence, Spyro had been taken over by the dark elements. The one thing that triggered it all was Demex's disappearance. Cynder and Malefor tried their best with Convexity breath, but Spyro had grown too strong. Immensely strong thunderstorms and other anomalies are being caused by his dark control. Volteer though had found something, an idea about a silver dragon that possessed a great power. Concavity breath.

The idea led nowhere though, no silver dragon could be easily found. All the while, Delnok saved a female from attacking Predators in the forest, while everyone else either searched for a silver dragon in the books or just lived another day in the Temple. The female he saved made a quick recovery, and everyone soon knew her, her name Amy. She was a yellow dragoness, sporting a golden underbelly, curved back horns, a bolt as her tail-tip, and a small lightning bolt of a birthmark on her left cheek. She was around 20, a year younger than Delnok. Once introductions had been spread around, Amy had become a part of the group.

As Malefor came out to discuss with them about how they couldn't find a silver dragon, Amy became involved and said she knew of one. Her father is a silver dragon.

Everyone made it quickly to the portal caves as another storm was brewing, preventing them from flying. As they arrived, Malefor was able to start one of the portals up to a town close to where Amy lived, this town being Darion. They arrived and noticed that her parents weren't there, so they went searching. Malefor, Demex, and Fira checked the village, but all that happened was Fira running into a dragoness with a bunch of fruits. Delnok, Cynder, and Amy though found the silver dragon, apparently named Spirit. His mate, Amy's mother, was shopping for food in the village.

As the two groups reunited, Spirit seemed to know Fira's name. She was bewildered up until he told her that she has been his long lost daughter. After that, Spirit agreed after talking with his mate, Krystal, to go along and to defeat the dark elements that were controlling Spyro. He had other powers, even teleportation, which helped them get back to the temple for a night's rest. As they got their and everyone went to bed, Amy and Delnok shared a room, rising their relationship up a bit.

The next day, it was decided that Spyro was residing in Convexity, a place where teleportation couldn't reach. The only way there was in the eye of the storm, which channeled large amounts of portal energy. It was decided that Spirit, Demex, and Cynder must go out of necessity and because they matter the most to Spyro. They all made their way through the storm barely, making their way through the portal and into Convexity where Spyro could be found.

They made their way to Spyro, him fighting them as Spirit charged his attack. The battle was long and hard, tiring Spyro out as he fought to keep Cynder and Demex at bay. They suddenly pinned Spyro against the wall, where Spirit then used his Concavity power to rid him of evil. Once normal again, they returned to the temple.

Out of rejoice, Amy's and Delnok's love became known between the two and they decided to be mates. Fira and Demex went into Warfang where they earned a massive mansion. Demex became the new librarian of Warfang and after that, him and Fira mated and decided it would be a good idea to have children.

After 12 years, everyone was enjoying the grand dragon ceremony. Spyro and Cynder were there with their daughter Serenity, an emerald scaled dragoness with a gold underbelly, her eyes and tail like Spyro and her horns like Cynder. Delnok and Amy both had a child named Damien. Demex and Fira had two children, a male and a female. Demila, the young ice dragoness, had cobalt blue scales and a dark cyan underbelly. With these colors, she still looked like her mother. Felix, the young fire dragon, had red scales with a faded red underbelly. He was practically the opposite of Demila, looking like his father.

Ignitus, back to Chronicler duties at the time, was enjoying the nice peace. But as he was reading through a book, his eyes widened in astonishment at what he saw. "Oh my…" He muttered.

**End of Summary for _The Blue Dragon_.**

**I do advise you though to read _The Blue Dragon_. This _is_ a summary, so there may be a few details that had been left out.  
**

**A few things to note, these are the _ages_ of the TBD cast when it ended to avoid confusion:  
**

Demex: 32  
Fira: 32  
Delnok: 33  
Amy: 32  
Spyro: 31  
Cynder: 31  
Flame: 32  
Ember: 32

Felix: 11  
Demila: 9  
Serenity: 10  
Damien: 11

3 Guardians: 73  
Malefor: 64  
Spirit: 68  
Krystal: 65

Max and Jennifer: 32  
Josh: 16

******Lastly, Spyro fanfic fans ********who are reading this, ********please take ********note.******** I am not a pro at writing so don't expect me to be great because _I'm not_. Got that? **

**There may be some plot holes that I may have overlooked, I apologize in advance. I tried my best in making all the canon characters stay in character, but I had to improvise at certain points, since I really couldn't imagine how would they react.**** This story is rated M for mature scenes that_ may_ appear in the story. **

**So with all that said and done, I present the prologue of my story,**

**The Blue Dragon: Book II**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except my characters. Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies. Richer1992 owns Spirit, Amy and Krystal.  
**

**Exclaimer: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

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Chapter 1

Prologue

The air was still and had a slight chill. The moon was up at the sky, against the starry backdrop. The trees did not sway for there was no wind. It was silent, like everything had died. Slowly, the stillness was disturbed as a being came to. His body ached as he grimaced in pain, trying to stand on all fours. He couldn't help but look in shock as he saw the smoking crater he was in. The land was cracked as the earth contained gashes, signifying the destruction that had happen. With each step bringing him with pain, he climbed out. Rocks shifted, beads of sweat dripping, he slowly came out, exposing his physical features to the world. The once lustrous and shining scales were now covered with streaks of red, no doubt blood. Open gashes and lacerations littered his body, with bruises on his underbelly. He looked around warily, as if searching and scanning for something which resulted to nothing.

Pushing himself forward, he began to walk, walk away from ground zero. He was actually surprised at the amount of destruction that had been conjured up. Some trees had missing branches; some had been uprooted and laid flat and dead on the floor. Others were left with nothing but an upturned soil, the tree nowhere in sight, no doubt a few miles away from their location.

But of course, due to the extent of his injuries, he didn't have a lot to go with. In just a few minutes, his vision began to blur at the edges. His body began to falter; his tail beginning to sag. Not a few seconds later, his body severed the connection of his brain to his body. His body toppled to the ground, his eyes closed and stayed still. He was out cold; passed out; bleeding out, his injuries that was beginning to spell death in blood red letters.

Then, a rustle became audible; just moments after he had passed out.

The leaves parted from a nearby bush as a paw moved them away. Three figures came out. One, a cobalt blue dragon, gasped as he saw the lifeless body. The other, a red dragon, much smaller than the former, since he was a teen, looked around warily. The third and last, was a purple dragon, as big as the first one, stood guard beside the blue as he checked over him.

"How is he?" asked the purple one, his voice deeper, nearly going to baritone.

"Not good Spyro; he's lost too much blood. We need to get him to the Temple as soon as possible." he answered whilst checking over the blood soaked dragon.

"Okay then," Spyro turned to the red dragon. "Felix, you help me give some cover while Demex carries him back to the Temple. We'll cover your father in case a Predator decides to appear on this of all nights."

Felix nodded. "You got it uncle."

The son and uncle then went to formation, Felix in front, Spyro at the back, Demex in the middle with the dragon. They needed to get him to safety. Slowly, the trio marched, heading out of the forest.

0 0 0 0 0

He walked with a limp as his body was giving. All around him were nothing but darkness, for surely there was no light. The trees swayed all around him as he kept walking, walking to no particular direction. He didn't know where he was headed, but he didn't care. He just kept walking; he was lost and confused. He didn't know what happened. But right now, it didn't matter. He was wounded and that's what mattered. He needed to get his wounds to stop bleeding or else he was going to die from the massive loss of blood.

But where can he possible heal himself?

He didn't know where the nearest possible town was. He was in an area where he wasn't really familiarized. To top it off, he was dazed from what had happened. He couldn't even remember what happened. He was _too _dazed.

It was all going downhill.

Then, his vision blurred as he ran, making his field of vision vanish completely. He tripped, making him tumble and lay on a heap on the ground. He lay there, bleeding out, death slowly creeping up to him. He was _dying_, much to his horror. Much to his displeasure, he looked up and was surprised to find two orbs of light, torches no doubt, and a large sturdy gate. He was dying…at the entrance of a village. He was so close. Yet not close enough. He couldn't yell for help. He didn't have enough energy left. Then his vision began to fade. The last image being imprinted on his mind was the village wooden gates before he passed out because of loss of blood. Help that was there that never came.

And he couldn't do a thing about it…

But it seems…fate had a different idea.

No sooner than he fell towards the ground, activity rose inside the village. Someone had spotted him. Grunts and yells were heard as the gate was dragged open, its wooden hinges creaking as the wood created friction. Dragons, wearing primitive armor local to the area, ran to his aid.

"Quick! Get him to the healers!" yelled an authority figure.

Following obediently, two dragons quickly hefted the passed out dragon into the village. The figure watched solemnly as the guards took the wounded dragon away. A dragon walked towards him, looking wary and tired, but still alert.

"Was it me or was he a black dragon? A _dark _dragon perhaps?" he asked.

"No…dark dragons are more volatile and vicious. They aren't easy to be wounded. He must be _naturally_ a dark scaled dragon. I wonder who he is." he replied. The dragon nodded.

"That is the entire question in all our minds." The dragon beside him smiled.

"Do not worry; we can ask him when he wakes up." He smiled back.

"That we shall. We definitely shall."

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**Author's Notes: To all my readers:  
**

**~The ~Backstage~ will officially begin at Chapter 2**

**~Be sure to check my profile for updates, specifically the bio for the protagonist of this story.  
**

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**Please visit my forums!  
**

**Please take some time to R&R.**

**And favorite it, along with the author!**


	2. Chapter 2 Verve

**Author's Notes: I decided that the script format of the ~Backstage~ was hard for me, so I'm changing it to _story_ format.**

**~Backstage~**

**"Wassup! Zayril here saying that the ~Backstage~ is now _online_!" exclaimed Zayril.**

**"YEY!" shouted cast of TBD 1.**

**"Isn't this great!" said Demex walking over to Felix.**

**"It is dad!" replied Felix. Zayril smiled.**

**"And the best part is, we have guests!" said Fira.**

**"Speaking of guests..." said Zayril, then the doorbell rang.**

**"I'll get it!" said Delnok. He opened the door and was surprised at the amount of guests. **

**"We have a lot of guest this time don't we?" asked Malefor.**

**"We sure do!" said Zayril. He then grabbed the clipboard at the side and grabbed a pen. "Say present if you're here."**

**"Racket? (Racket30)" A young man with average jeans and shirt looked up.**

**"Present!" Zayril checked him off. "Richer?" **

**A young man with dark brown hair, blue eyes, wearing jeans and a t-shirt raised his hand. "Present!" Zayril moved on.**

**"Proletariat (Cgaume12)?" Prole raised his paws. "Present." Zayril smirked.**

**"Now for the couples...Shadow (Spyro's Bud) and Blizzard?" The two dragons looked up and replied accordingly.**

**"Alex (Doragon Eichi) and Rajelle, Maz (Oxyphyr) and Latvia and Richard (Yxme24) and Sheila?" The 3 couples smiled. "We're here!"**

**"Okay...that leaves Davet Tamik (DarkIncubusKing). Davet?" A mage looked up from the corner and raised his hand. "Right here."**

**"I guess that's everyone..." said Fira. **

**"Why don't you lead them to their rooms Damien?" asked Delnok.**

**"Follow me please!" said Damien ecstatically and led the housemates to the 2nd Floor.**

**"Are we sure we ain't forgetting one?" asked Serenity.**

**"Yeah, I think we're forgetting someone." said Demila.**

**Then all of a sudden, the doors open to find a young man closing it abruptly whilst looking around warily.**

**"Right on time, Nano! (Nanogamer)" said Zayril, much to everyone's surprise.**

**"Yeah; right on time indeed. Thanks for suggesting me to use your place to hide from that psycho, Nick." said Nano, wiping his forehead.**

**"No problem." he nodded and walked off to the 2nd floor.**

**"Well, I guess that's everyone." said Delnok.**

**"Time for the disclaimers then!" said Zayril.  
**

**"Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters." The two brothers along with their father said.  
**

**"Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies." said Demila, Felix and Serenity.  
**

**"To people who don't like the story, just don't read it." said Zayril**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMER: The town "Drakos" belongs to Yxme24.**

**The OC's Blizzard belong to Doragon Eichi; Rajelle belongs to Spyro's Bud; Latvia belongs to Oxyphyr; Sheila belongs to Yxme24.  
**

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Chapter 2

Verve

**~FLASHBACK~**

**Time Frame: Chapter 24, Back Again, **_**The Blue Dragon**_**, Max's POV**

"This is it." he said walking up to the rock formation. "This is the Portal that I accidentally activated."

"Is it really? We thought they were just rock formations." replied Max.

"You thought wrong then." he said walking back to him.

"When I activate this Portal, it generates what seems like a wind tunnel effect. You should find some cover." said Demex.

"Okay. So this is goodbye then." said Max looking at his son.

"Yes it is. I promise that I won't forget about you guys." said Demex.

"You do that, we'll do the same." replied Max then the two hugged.

"Be careful, son." said Max.

"I will dad." replied Demex. Max nodded and walked over to a rock formation that was at the side.

He hid behind a sturdy rock as he watched with wide eyes as his son stood in front of the Portal, braving it completely. He saw his son changed right before his eyes, his body being covered in ice, and shatter completely, revealing a cobalt blue dragon in its place.

He still hadn't gotten used to that. About his son being a dragon. He knew his son wasn't a blood son, Demex was adopted, but he never knew that his heritage was of dragonic origins. It was only of a few hours that they had been struck with the nerve wracking revelation about the dragonic origins of their son. They were skeptic at first, but after being shown proof, no doubt converted to believers. Now here he was, Max Windsor, watching his son, Demex Windsor, to return back to_ his_ world of origins, the Valley of Avalar, which was at the Dragon Realms.

He was snapped out of his musings when all of a sudden there was a bright light. Then the wind began to pick up. He looked up and saw it. There it was…the Portal that connected _his_ world to his _son's world_. He had to laugh at the idea that he actually thought it was just a simple rock formation.

"Simple my ass." he mumbled to himself as he grabbed hold of the sturdy rock before him. He then felt a _sucking_ motion as the wind began to take a wind tunnel effect and suck everything up. He saw Demex look to him and nod. He immediately knew what this meant. Nodding back, he said,

"Goodbye." Demex turned his head and inhaled. Without a second thought, he ran towards the Portal and jump through it.

Max covered his eyes as a bright flash ensued as soon as his son jumped through the Portal. The light subsided and he heard some distinct fizzling, hissing and crackling sound as the Portal deactivated itself.

0 0 0 0 0

Even though Demex wasn't his blood son, he still felt like he lost one when his son left. But he had to remember; they were _bound_ to leave when they got old. Though, Demex was early by a few years. The drive back home was not much interesting. The highway was covered in an endless blanket of black, pierced only as the car's head light spilled through it. It was awfully quiet. Normally, the car's stereo would be on, Max and Demex would be listening to it and having a great time; except of course, if Demex was present.

Since he wasn't, the trip seemed to drone on fast.

In a matter of moments, Max found himself turning around the familiar street and landing on their street. He drove up the driveway and parked. Looking outside, he saw that the lights on the kitchen were still on, Jennifer Windsor was still awake. Max took out the keys from the ignition, killing the engines of the car. Looking at his watch, he was surprised to find it showing 11:30 PM. He stepped out, the cold night wind greeting him, and walked nonchalantly through the back door. The door swung open and he saw his wife look up from the kitchen table.

"Did he get through safely?" she asked, smiling slightly. She quite obviously looked tired from her looks. Max approached her as she stood up and hugged him.

"He got through fine." Jennifer kissed his husband on the cheeks and sighed.

"I hope where he is now…he's going to be alright." Max kissed her back.

"I have a feeling he's going to be fine. Where's Josh by the way?"

"He went back earlier." Max yawned.

"Let's get some sleep." said Jennifer.

"I agree."

0 0 0 0 0

A couple of houses away, a light was on at one of the rooms of a simple house. Josh Wilbert sat in front of his computer, headphones placed on his head. He sat there, staring at the computer screen. Sleepily, he looked to the lower right and saw the time. It was 11:35 PM. He needed to get some sleep. Moving the mouse, he closed the tabs—saving it of course—and shut down his desktop computer. In a matter of minutes, he switched of the lights and went to his cozy bed. His body was sleepy, though his mind was a buzz with activity. He was still shocked to find his friend, Demex, to be a dragon. It's not normal you'll find yourself having a friend who has draconic origins. Though, being shown this revelation, he had to admit to himself, dragons _were_ cool. He was a skeptic at first; about all this talk about dragons not real. But he was shown fact and was now a converted believer. Who wouldn't? But now, he was worried. What happens now? Obviously, his parents _have_ to think of a reasonable story, explaining Demex's absence. But then what? What would happen to him?

He lost a friend that cannot be replaced.

Sighing, unsure of what the future may hold for him, he closed his eyes and welcomed sleep.

**~END OF FLASHBACK~**

Days passed, changing the environment as well as Josh himself. Ever since Demex left, he was changed forever. Demex's revelation of dragons sparked the life for Josh. For some reason, he felt the need to continue Demex's passion and become a dragon fan as well. In all other points, he developed an inevitable obsession. For the last past few days, he's been on his computer, researching topics related to the fiery beasts. It was slow at first, it wasn't his thing, but slowly did become so. He started reading and reading more, finding himself _enjoying _it actually. Now, for once, he knew why Demex had so much fun with dragons. His past time eventually turned to obsession, and he found himself daydreaming about it. His imagination running wild and making dragons come to life. At times, he imagined himself being a dragon as well, flying alongside Demex, the two of them having the time of their life. But it made him sad thinking about that; he wondered where he was now. A week to him was a year to Demex; a very long amount of time; enough for him to change completely. But he dismissed the thoughts. Demex will be Demex, and that's a fact. Going back, he smiled at his own workings. His obsession turned into a hobby of making stories. It all started when he went to Gamestop at one time. He found a game he never thought of existing. At one of the racks was a game called, "The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning". And to his surprise, it featured dragons, his new favorite mythical creatures. And so thus began the downward spiral that got him into the universe of Spyro. From there on, he branched out from the rebooted series to the old series and in a matter of weeks, he was a learned fanatic. He knew everything there is to know about the game. Fueled by the information, he tried his hands at Fan-Fiction, something he had never done before, and to his surprise, he did fairly well.

Throughout this entire transformation, it took about 3 months.

0 0 0 0 0

The sun was high, flying alongside wisps of fluffy clouds that floated lazily along the blue clear sky background. The winds swayed slowly as a slow breeze blew over them, carrying the fresh air that was present in these ever days that droned on. It was a like any ordinary day…except it wasn't.

"Hey!" said a loud voice. He snapped out of his musings and turned his head to face his classmate.

"What?" His friend smiled at him.

"You've been doing it again Josh; daydreaming!" Josh shook his head while his friend smirked at him.

"Are you excited?" Josh smiled.

"Of course I am!" he replied excitedly. "Who wouldn't be excited about a field trip Terrence?"

Terry nodded. "I guess." he replied as he stared outside the school bus. "What time do you think will arrive?"

"We'll arrive in time. Don't worry. Traffic isn't heavy." answered Terrence.

Terry stared outside their yellow school bus and watched lazily as they zipped down the freeway, passing by cars of all shapes and sizes, as well as tall conifers at the side of the road, as they headed to their prior destination. Josh smiled to himself; he had a good feeling today. He didn't know what it was, nor could shake it off. It lay there, deep inside his mind, waiting to be fulfilled.

0 0 0 0 0

"Wow! This place is dusty!" remarked Terry as they hopped off the bus and surveyed their destination.

"I know!" replied Josh as the rest of the class assembled at the assembly area of the dig site.

All around them, mounds of dirt were piled at a corner as the archaeological dig site was opened to the public once everything important had been dug out. Makeshift tents rose up around them, serving as resting areas for people like him. The dig site had been actually refined to a tourist spot for the town of Drakos. It needed the income as well as the tourist to develop their simple but quaint town. A few of the tour guides there were actually part of the original team who had dug out the dig site. Josh and his fellow students looked up as a man walked up to their teacher and introduced himself as their tour guide. Josh smiled.

"Hello, welcome to the Drakos Dig Site; I will be your tour guide, Max Windsor." greeted Max. "Now, please fall in line, follow the safety protocols we have established, avoid touching anything, feel free to ask questions, and have a nice day; follow me please."

The rest of the day was interesting for Josh. One, he got the privilege of visiting a real life archeological dig site, something he had always wanted to try. And two, he had gotten the opportunity to visit the very same dig site, that had served as the bridge for Demex back to _his_ world. Though, he never got the chance to visit the room where the Portals were. It was sealed off; safety purposes they said. But he had a better hunch. Max must have realized that having something like that may be dangerous to humans who didn't know what they were dealing with. The only solution must have been to seal it off, with him only allowed to access it, because of his knowledge of what it can do. At least, that's what he thought.

"Can I have a word with you?" asked Max as he approached Josh whilst he and Terry and the rest of the class were having lunch inside the lunch room.

"Uh…sure," said Josh standing up and fixing his half eaten lunch. "I'll see you guys later." Terry nodded.

0 0 0 0 0

"Wow!" exclaimed Josh in glee. "This is so cool!" Max beamed.

"I'm glad you like it. I've always wanted to show you this; part of the fact that you have the right to see this place." said Max.

"So this is the Portal Room?" asked Josh, looking around, noting the weird rock formations that were illuminated dimly by the work lights surrounding them. As well as the weird door frame looking rock formations, there were also some machines at the side, which Max said he used to monitor the activity of the Portals. Something he had been doing in his free time.

As Josh looked around, avoiding touching anything, a _beeping_ sound emanated from somewhere. Josh turned around and saw Max fiddling with his beeper.

"Well, I have to check on one thing. Don't touch anything okay? I'll be right back." said Max, disappearing down the corner.

Josh wasn't an idiot. He knew what had happened when Demex touched the portal. He was tempted to touch it, out of curiosity, but refrained from doing so because it was stupid. He turned around and was going to sit down near a bench, when a _beeping_ sound emanated again. This time, he turned around and saw the machine coming to life; the very machine that monitored Portal activity. The lights fizzled all around him as the machine beeped frantically, data being stored on its hard disk. Eventually, the light bulbs from the work lights short circuited, causing a wide black out inside the cavern. He tried his best not to panic, but it was nearing his borderline control. Just when it couldn't get any worse, it got worse. A bright flash of light flashed, blinding him temporarily. "Sucking" and howling wind suddenly was introduced into the fray, making it all the worse. Before Josh could even react to what was going on, he was struck, struck hard by something on the head, a flying debris no doubt conjured by the _sucking_ winds, making him fall to the floor, unconscious.

He blacked out.

* * *

**Author's Notes: To all my readers:**

**Sorry for the long update. I was busy this week. Activities, school and all that. Don't worry. I'll be picking up and updating regularly from now on. BTW, did you like the long paragraphs?**

**As of this chapter, Spyro's Bud (Shadow), Racket30, Alex (Doragon Eichi), Nano (Nanogamer), Maz (Oxyphyr), Richer (Richer1992) Davet (DarkIncubusKing) Prole (Cgaume12), Richard (Yxme24) are now part of the ~Backstage~**

**As another review question, I am getting good at being descriptive?**

**

* * *

**

**Please visit my forums!  
**

**Please take some time to R&R.**

**And favorite it, along with the author!**


	3. Chapter 3 Inception

**Author's Notes: Story format didn't work out too well. Reverting back to script format.**

**~Backstage~**

**Davet was walking down the halls when he heard the doorbell rang. He opened the door and was surprised to find Alec Krest (Alec the Dark Angel) standing.**

**Davet: Alec! You arrived!**

**Alec: I know; I couldn't arrive much sooner. Zayril forgot to tell me.**

**Zayril: *appears behind Davet* And I am sorry for doing so.**

**Alec: It's okay. **

**Zayril: Come in then, make yourself comfortable!**

**Racket (Racket 30): Dang! I want Portal 2! *he said as he stared at the trailer on the computer***

**Richer: I know what you feel.**

**Prole: Where are Shadow and the others?**

**Richard: I think they are out hunting...at the grocery store.**

**Sheila: That explains why...**

**Alec: I think it's time for the disclaimers now.**

**Zayril: I agree.**

**Alec, Prole, Racket & Davet: Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters. **

**Richer, Sheila & Richard: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies. **

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it. **

* * *

Chapter 3

Inception

Josh was dazed when he woke up. He felt the oddest sensation he ever felt. The sensation can only be described as if something were pulling him forward in different directions; all at the same time, making you him weightless. It felt like he was being squeezed through a small rubber tube. He coughed as he slightly felt suffocated. Luckily though, the sensation passed and he managed to open his eyes.

It took some time to focus, but when it did, he recognized that he was lying on the floor…of a forest. He was surrounded by odd looking trees; there shadows dancing all around him as well as on his face, as the bright sun hang over the sky. He shifted his body, groaning as his head throbbed, along with his back.

"He-*cough* *cough*" He coughed as his voice crackled.

'_What's wrong with my voice?'_ he thought to himself. He tried to stand but let out a groan as he grimaced, feeling pain lance from his back.

"My back…" he grunted as he slowly stood up, grimacing in pain.

He was completely floored as he looked around. He remembered completely that he was at a cave. What the heck was he doing at a forest? More so, why couldn't he stand up? Each time he did so, he just ended up falling again.

"Oof… Why can't I get up?" he said looking down on his legs to check if they were alright. His face suddenly gained the expression of astonishment as he took in what he saw.

He hurriedly looked over the rest of his body in disbelief as he looked upon the sky blue scales that covered his body. He looked at his underbelly and saw that it had dark blue colored scales. He turned his head and long, sinuous neck to look at his back and stared at the large, bat-like wings. He also noticed that he had a medium length tail that had a few spikes on it. It ended into a half crescent moon shape that looked _sharp_.

He looked down at the floor and was amazed to see his hands now had transformed to paws that had sharp claws which he then used to check the horns on his head. "I- I'm…a dragon!" The confused dragon exclaimed as he began to double check his appearance.

"Okay…why do I have a sense of déjà vu…" said Josh as he remembered the same thing happening to someone. It then clicked.

"This is the same thing that had happened to Demex!" he exclaimed loudly, surprising himself that it had sounded like a roar.

"Wait…" he began deliberating. "Then that means…this _isn't_ a dream…" his eyes widened as he realized it was all true.

He was at the Dragon Realms; Demex's world.

"Oh my gosh…it's _bootleg_…" said Josh as the gravity of the situation had collapsed on him.

He couldn't help it. He just had to release it. Before he even knew what he was doing, he was dancing around, prancing about, jumping in joy as he was a dragon; something that he always wanted to become ever since he became a fan fiction writer for Spyro. It was one of his dreams and he had finally gotten it. Now he knew what Demex felt at the time _he_ realized he had become a dragon.

"Wait…." he turned his head and looked at his scales. They were blue in general. A conclusion came to his mind.

"I must be an ice dragon! Awesome! I wonder if I can breathe my element!" said Josh excitedly. He then opened his maw and 'breathed' out the ice, like Demex did. Though, what he got was nothing but a faint plume of cold smoke.

"Dang…I thought for sure I could do it…" he said sadly. "Oh well…" he said looking around.

"Now…onto matters at hand…where the heck am I …" he said, walking towards no particular direction.

0 0 0 0 0

Josh walked for what seemed like hours to him. He had to admit to himself, being lost in this foreign world wasn't that bad. Deducting that he couldn't breathe ice yet, no doubt not knowing how, he deducted that he couldn't fly as well. So he didn't pull any flying stunts…yet. Continuing his stroll, he admired the scenery around him.

'_So this is the Dragon Realms…_' he thought to himself.

Though, now that he felt comfortable that he was a dragon, he wondered why his voice was _deep_. Like…abnormally deep for his age. When Demex spoke whilst he was in his dragon form, he sounded normal. So…why didn't he? And more so, he wondered _how_ he became a dragon. He didn't have any dragonic origins…as far as he knew. Such questions revolved around his head. Making him drown in them as countless possibilities popped up in his mind.

One of the questions that stood out the most was the name of the world itself.

_Dragon Realms_; at first, he regarded it as Demex's world. But now that he thought about it, it was also the name of _Spyro's_ Universe; as in, the dragon from the videogame _The Legend of Spyro_. Was it all just a coincidence? So far, it has been…

Wandering around, he saw that he was coming up to portion of the forest…that seemed…odd…more so…it was _oddly_ familiar. The trees began to change and look more like…mushrooms; it was everywhere he looked. The area was also filled with groves, vines that block paths and old passage ways shaped like dragon heads.

"Okay…" said Josh. The place was scoring hits…though it _may_ just be a coincidence. He walked to the side as he saw a river. He was feeling thirsty. He wanted to quench it. Walking off to the side, he was about to drink some when he saw his reflection.

Now, he wasn't exactly learned on the subject of what dragons looked like, but from what he could see from the reflection clearly said one thing. He was an _adult_ dragon. His facial features were more prominent like having a long maw that contained sharp white teeth. He saw that he had indigo eyes and all that stuff. He was clearly an aged dragon. And he knew for sure he looked _bigger_ than the dragon form of Demex from the last he saw of him.

Taking note of this, he bent down and lapped up the water with his dragonic tongue. It was hard at first, but he easily got more water by dipping his head completely at the river and just drinking it from there. He easily got a mouthful since the water there was about toe deep and in some parts possibly knee deep. He let out a satisfied groan, feeling his throat get filled with the soothing water. He was parched but was now quenched. He was good.

Continuing his stroll to no particular destination, he arrived at a place; a place he never knew he would arrive into.

0 0 0 0 0

"Well, it was nice of you to wind down and stay with us for awhile. It's been a lot of fun." said a blue dragonfly named Flash. Sparx smiled.

"It was nice to be with you guys as well." he replied. His mom smiled at him and hugged his dragonfly son.

"So you'll be heading back to Warfang; to meet up with your brother?" asked Nina, a brown and green dragonfly. Sparx nodded. Flash approached him and patted him at the back.

"Good luck son. Stay safe." said Flash, hugging his son one last time before letting go.

Sparx headed outside and stopped for a moment, and breathe in fresh air. Living at the Swamp was alright. Throughout the entire ordeal of the whole Malefor thing, Sparx had decided to lay low for awhile and rest. That last adventure he had with Spyro took out a lot from him. But still, even though lying low and relaxing, he and Spyro were still in touch. They were messaging each other, by snail mail. He was actually shocked. Shocked as heck to find out that Malefor was Spyro's father; along with him having brothers and all that stuff. It wasn't easy at first; to accept Spyro's heritage for him. But still, he eventually managed to get over it; even though he does feel a few chills crawl up his spine when he sees Malefor every now and then.

Right now though, he missed the company of his brother; which was the entire reason why he was headed to Warfang. He wanted to spend some quality time, along with participating at the Annual Dragon Gathering.

He was about to fly off but was stopped at a peculiar sight before him.

Standing, looking around as if struck dumbstruck was a sky blue scaled ice dragon. He was surprised at the sight before him. It was rather odd; no dragon would have stumbled here. Because one, the swamp was rather not in any direct flight path of a dragon going to a specific destination; and two, today was the Annual Dragon Gathering. Sparx wondered what he was doing here. All dragons should have been at Warfang now, for all those who would be attending.

Wanting to help a guy, obviously lost by the looks of it, he flew over to him.

0 0 0 0 0

"Wow…" said Josh, staring at the Swamp with a dreamy look.

He couldn't believe it. He couldn't _freaking _believe it. He was at the Swamp. The _very same _Swamp he clearly remembered being in the game, The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning. He was standing at the very grounds where Spyro was born. It wasn't a coincidence. Demex's world was actually a _fictional_ world in a videogame universe. But…technically, it wasn't fictional now since he was here.

The area was like how it was shown in the game, except though, it had cleared detail. Everything, down from the texture on the ground to the texture on the trees; it was all perfect. He even had to stop and _look_ around to take it all in. It felt like a dream, but it wasn't. It was just all too real. He wondered what Demex would think if he saw him here. Would he even recognize him?

The question stayed in his mind, making it evident.

It was then he was snapped off of his musings when he heard a _buzzing_ sound approaching him. He looked up, looking for the sound and saw where it was coming from. A golden light was approaching him. He raised a brow, not understanding what he was seeing. It was then when it got closer, he recognized what it was. It was a dragonfly.

A golden dragonfly…named Sparx.

It was official; he was at the Spyro Universe.

And that was a fact.

"You seem lost; are you okay?" asked Sparx. Josh was at a loss for a moment, trying his best to digest the fact that he was talking to a real life dragonfly. And not something that was just made up by a computer and was generated by the graphics board on his game console.

"I…" he began. "…kind of am." he said smiling sheepishly.

"Well, I might be able to help you there." said Sparx smiling at him. "Where you headed?"

Now that was a question Josh had a hard time coming up with an answer. Where was he headed? That he did not know. He thought hard, quick and fast, before coming up with a logical answer. He knew for a fact that Demex _lived_ here in this world. Maybe by sheer luck, Sparx knew him. It was a long shot, but it was worth a try.

"Um…by any chance you know a dragon named Demex?" asked Josh, looking at Sparx. Sparx seemed to brighten up at the mention of the voice.

"Yes. I do. He's my step brother." Sparx answered with a smirk.

* * *

**Author's Notes: To all my readers:**

**Is it me, or the majority of the Original Charters in this story are ice dragons? **

**As of this chapter, Alec Krest (Alec the Dark Angel) is now part of the ~Backstage~**

**

* * *

Please visit my forums!  
**

**Please take some time to R&R.**

**And favorite it, along with the author!**


	4. Chapter 4 Painless

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: I AM SO SORRY EVERYONE for this very LATE update.**

**Racket: Very late indeed.**

**Shadow: What happened?**

**Blizz: He contracted a cold during the weekend.**

**Zayril: Right you are Blizz.**

**Alex: Are you okay now Zayril?**

**Rajelle: Checked his vitals. His on his way to recovery.**

**Maz: That's a relief.**

**Latvia: Tell me about it.**

**Davet: A cold can easily get bad isn't it?**

**Richer: Yup, as for the past few days, Zayril over here, had problems with his tonsil, nose and even going to headaches!**

**Zayril: I hate colds...**

**Richard: Me too.**

**Sheila: Me three. **

**Prole: I hate getting sick. They make me feel...sick.**

**Alec: At least Zayril is on his way to recovery. And that's what matters. **

**Zayril: And, speaking of which, we got a new housemate! Her name is Sienna! She's Alec's partner. *a sunset orange dragoness with golden yellow wings, underbelly, and eyes. Two long thin horns that curved back down the length of her neck; has a tail blade that resembles the sunset, walks in.***

**Sienna: Yup. And I think it's time for the disclaimers now!**

**Racket, Shadow, Alex, Maz, Davet, Richer, Richard, Prole and Alec: Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters. **

**Blizz, Rajelle Latvia and Sheila: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies. **

**Sienna: And a new disclaimer created by Zayril! All OC's used at the ~Backstage~ not belonging to Viperwatcher, belongs to their respective owners!  
**

**Zayril: I hope that one gets "viral" as well! Like this trademark disclaimer of mine: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it. **

* * *

Chapter 4

Painless

Josh was shocked when he had heard the words that came out of Sparx's mouth. It took him a moment to digest and analyze Sparx's word to understand what he had said. Replaying them in his mind, it had a crystal clear meaning. When he had asked who Demex was, Sparx's reply floored him.

"_Yes. I do. He's my step brother."_

'_Maybe this was a different Demex. Who knows? There could be a lot of Demex named dragons in this Realm'_. He thought to himself, trying to make some sense. He knew for a fact that Sparx only had one brother. That was Spyro. What if he did have a step brother? It was too impossible. Or was it?

_Wait…._

**~FLASHBACK~**

**Time Frame: Chapter 24, Back Again, **_**The Blue Dragon**_

Demex then began telling his parents and friend his story; the full story. Like where he went, who he met, and what actually happened. But he didn't disclose to them the fact that he had found a mate.

**~END OF FLASHBACK~**

Once the cogs started spinning, it didn't stop. The memories flooded him like a dam opened up. Demex _had _told him of his family. He remembered clearly that he told him that his father was a dragon named Malefor, and his mother was a dragoness named Nomex. He had two brothers, Spyro and Delnok.

'_Wait a minute…_' thought Josh as he remembered something. '_Malefor…is his father…that dragon was…the evil dude…from Dawn of the Dragon. What the heck? Is he a good guy then! What's going on!'_

Josh's mind was ablaze with questions. He can understand that Malefor was Demex's father. But…wasn't the guy a bad guy? And when Demex talked about him…he was completely different from how he was portrayed in the game. Was this the same Malefor? He wasn't sure. But he would take Demex's word on it. If he said he was good, he would be good. But back to the topic at hand, he needed to meet Demex. He was lost in a world where he didn't know a thing. He needed to contact him, and he needed to fast.

"I'm Sparx by the way, who are you and why are you looking for my step brother?" asked Sparx.

"I'm Josh. It's very…," he began to think quickly. "…important; I need to speak with him urgently." he replied.

"Good then! You can come with me! I'm going to meet up with him anyway at Warfang." said Sparx.

"It's good to have a traveling partner." said Josh, turning around to and heading back into the forest.

"Where are you going?" asked Sparx. Josh faced him back and raised a brow.

"What?"

"What are you doing walking? We could be flying there." Josh smiled sheepishly.

Josh had two good reasons why he chose to walk. One, he didn't know a single thing on how to fly. Two, his back hurt. His wings actually hurt when he tried to move it. But the latter is going to be his excuse.

"I can't. My back hurts. I injured myself earlier. Now its sore." said Josh, using the excuse. Sparx sighed.

"I guess we'll just have to walk then. It's not far from here. About two hours I guess. Let's go." said Sparx.

0 0 0 0 0

The journey wasn't that much boring actually. Sparx and Josh got along pretty well. Josh asked many questions to Sparx, who gladly answered them; mostly questions involving Demex's legacy. From what he had learned from Sparx, apparently, Demex had been a hero of this realm. He was surprised to hear such heroic feats from his friend. He truly was different. This information made Josh even more excited to meet Demex in person…or in dragon form.

In a matter of minutes, their journey had come to an end, as Warfang was now insight.

"Wow…" said Josh as he let his eyes marveled at the sight. It was magnificent, more so, stupendous. It was nothing like he had ever seen. The walls were taller than he had imagined. They were made of bricks that looked old, yet sturdy. The place was even bigger when they got close. Walking under the arch, buildings that were made by moles rose around him. Some had dome shapes whilst others were square towers. They were mostly brown in color, no doubt original colors faded by the coming of time. It made him feel small, and that was a lot, since he was big dragon after all. He wondered what Sparx would have felt. He was teeny tiny compared to the colossal buildings around him. But what intrigued him was the lack of activity. It was like a ghost town. No one was hanging around. It was just the two of them. A dragon and a dragonfly, walking along a silent brick made street.

"Where is everybody?" asked Josh clueless.

"Haven't I told you already?" said Sparx, looking at him.

"You did?"

"Yes."

"Tell me again?" Sparx sighed out of exasperation,

"Today's the Annual Dragon Gathering." Josh nodded, sticking it to his head.

"I think we should head to the Library first. Demex works there." suggested Sparx.

"Okay then. Let's go." said Josh, having Sparx lead the way.

The two went down the empty streets of Warfang, heading to the Warfang City Library. The two stepped down the steps and ended up at a somewhat square. There was a fountain at the middle, some chairs located around it. Sparx looked around and smiled. There, at one of the buildings, was Demex's workplace. The two headed up the steps leading up to the humongous building.

It was a large building, with marble steps that end up to two big double doors, leading to the inside. This was the right place. The two entered the double doors and were amazed at the size of the interior.

The two of them looked up and found that the sunlight came in from the large window up above. It streamed down, illuminating the spacious room below. The floor was made of elegant marble that had markings and distinct patterns. As they walked to the side, heading for the information desk, they passed by rows upon rows of books and scrolls. It was quiet inside and it was obvious for one reason. This was the Warfang City Library of course.

"Big place isn't it?" asked Sparx rhetorically.

"Indeed." said Josh, surprised at the gigantic size of the Library. He had never seen a library so big!

"Hello!" called out Sparx.

The sound reverberated around the marble walls, filling the empty hallways of Sparx comical sounding voice. The sound repeated for a few times, gaining no answer for the two. Josh even tried himself; his voice a few decibels higher than Sparx.

"Maybe no one's here. Everyone must be at the Dragon Gathering." suggested Josh. Sparx shook his head.

"That's impossible. Demex is a librarian. A librarian has to be present here at all times." said Sparx.

"Maybe he's not the only librarian…maybe this library has _two_ librarians…it's big enough to need the help of two." said Josh.

"You do have a point…" said Sparx

"What are you two doing here?" said a mature sounding voice behind them.

The voice almost scared the heck out of Josh. He turned around in an instant, his tail almost swiping Sparx who ducked right on time. Josh recognized the dragon as a he, a little older than him, with green scales and two yellow horns. He was slightly disturbed a little, as he noticed that one of the eyes of the dragon was white, whilst the other was brown. He was blind at the left eye.

"What are the two of you doing here?" he repeated. Josh forced himself to stop staring and answer back.

"We're looking for a dragon named Demex." he asked.

"Have you seen him?" asked Sparx, looking as well at the odd dragon.

"Oh, you mean my co-worker? Demex?" asked the dragon. The two nodded.

"Do you know where he is?" asked Josh. He smiled.

"Well, he's attending the Annual Dragon Gathering along with his family." said the dragon. Josh nodded. He now knew their next destination. Wherever the Gathering was held…

"Thank you for the information." said Josh.

"My pleasure; and if you would be willing to wait, let me come with you. I'm closing the Library anyway. And my name is Errol." said Errol with a smile.

0 0 0 0 0

"AH!" she screamed as loudly as she can. "Please stop! Stop! I can't take it anymore! Please stop!"

But they didn't.

She kept screaming. Screaming as the attacks never ceased. It was driving her crazy. Any moment she could blow.

And she did.

She laughed; like she had never _laughed_ before in her entire life. Her chest was heaving up and down, making her _attackers_ go up and down as well. Her voice came out, a sweet sound as her vocal chords collided. Even her attackers laughed along as well. They were having a great, fantastic time.

"Kids, get off Fira." came a voice, a deep throaty one, from behind them. Fira turned her head, getting an upside down vision, of a dragon, cobalt blue scales and a faded cyan underbelly.

"But dad…" groaned one of the younglings; the dragon smirked.

"No buts Felix; don't make me come over there and tickle you guys as well. Anyways, the food is ready." The dragon named Felix, much like his mother, same scale colors, stood up quickly.

"Come on Damien, let's go!" A dragon, yellow scaled and blue underbelly dragon, stood up.

"Okay!" chirped Damien and the two boys ran off, leaving the two females and two adults left behind. A green dragoness scoffed at the actions of her male cousins. Her scales were colored light emerald which accentuated her off gold underbelly.

"Boys will be boys…" said the dragoness as she stood up.

"Right you are Serenity." said another dragoness, bearing cobalt blue colored scales and a faded cyan underbelly.

"Let's go Demila!" said Seren, calling out her friend. Demila nodded and the two girls ran off to the direction the boys went of as well.

Demex chuckled and helped Fira up. "Did I come at the right moment?" Fira smiled.

"Of course you did. You always come at the right moment." she said, giving him a peck at the cheek.

"Thanks. And you always come at the right moment, if I ever need saving." said Demex, intertwining his tail around hers. Fira smiled, and the couple walked off, heading to where they had set up the food for the day.

* * *

**Author's Notes: To all my readers:**

**Quite a double meaning chapter title, don't you think?  
**

**

* * *

Please visit my forums!  
**

**Please take some time to R&R.**

**And favorite it, along with the author!**


	5. Chapter 5 Engagement

**~Backstage~**

**Racket: Hey guys, where's Zayril?  
**

**Shadow: Yeah, where is he?**

**Nano: I think he's at his room.**

**Alex: What would he be doing at his room?**

**Maz: We don't know.**

**Sam (Formerly known as Davet; will now be called Sam): Any guesses?**

**Richer: None.**

**Richard: You guys obviously won't know. You're all thick headed in a way. He had already told you but you guys just ignored him.**

**Prole: What?**

**Alec: Yup. He did. But being you guys, you just ignored him. Except for a few selected people...But other than that, let's do the disclaimers.  
**

**Racket, Shadow, Nano and Alex: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters. **

** Davet, Richer, Richard and Prole: ****Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies. **

**Maz: All OC's used at the ~Backstage~ not belonging to Viperwatcher, belongs to their respective owners  
**

**Alec: And on his behalf: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it. **

* * *

Chapter 5

Engagement

The couple walked back, following the path their children, niece and nephew, took. In a matter of moments, they arrived at the area of the park where they had brought their food with. They were having a picnic. There were about twelve of them there, with four children and eight adults; Demex and Fira included.

"Glad you two got the kids in time!" said a dragoness. She was one of the adults was a black dragoness, with black scales, a maroon underbelly and a scythe like tail blade. No doubt known as Cynder.

"Yeah; Serenity, can you give these to your cousins." said a dragon next to Cynder, him handing Seren a couple of meat. He was a dragon covered in purple scales and a bright gold underbelly, with an arrow like tail blade. He was named as Spyro.

"What took you two so long to get them?" asked a blue scaled dragon.

"Well, I had to rescue Fira from being 'attacked', Delnok." replied Demex to his older brother.

"Ah, that explains why they are so hungry. Must have been hard to take their mother down." said another dragoness, teasingly.

"Oh please Amy." said Fira, a bit embarrassed. The yellow scaled, gold underbelly dragoness just smiled at her.

"What are you six still standing around there for? C'mon! Dig in!" boomed a voice from behind the six adults.

"Yes dad." replied Fira to his father, Spirit the silver dragon with silver scales; his underbelly was gold color and he carried an almost commanding aura. His eyes were blue and had black wings. His tail was tipped with a blade that reminded anyone of a sword. He had the standard two horns and was as clear as diamonds.

"Oh let them have their fun." said another dragoness that went beside Spirit. Spirit smirked and ate some food. The dragoness had blue scales like the ocean with a lighter blue underbelly like the clear sky. She had a heart-shape tail end; her two horns were also blue and she wore a necklace that was set with an aquamarine gem. This was Spirit's mate, Krystal.

0 0 0 0 0

"So Dad how is it now at your new home? Heard you finally completed moving." asked Fira, as she ate her share of the food.

"Great. Village life had never been better!" answered Spirit.

"Really? What was the name of the village again?" asked Spyro.

"Axakus; its a few miles away from Warfang; we decided to live closer to civilization. Much better communication and we can meet our grandkids more often!" answered Krystal.

"Yeah; I can play with my cousins more often! Thanks for letting me stay over Uncle Demex!" said Damien ecstatically. Demex smiled.

"It's my pleasure." he replied, which made the youngling smile warmly, before going over to play with Seren, Felix and Demila.

"You must be lucky to have a friend like Jareth!" said Fira. Krystal nodded.

"Yeah…I was actually shocked to hear that he actually insisted that we take the house for free! It was very generous of him. I can't take him enough." she replied. Spyro nodded.

"How is it there for you Amy?" asked Spyro. Amy smiled.

"It's wonderful; excellent even. The house was bigger than I thought!" she replied animatedly.

"Bigger than we all thought!" added Delnok. "Imagine I live there, along with my son, wife, and my in-laws! It's very big. You should visit sometime. We can have a reunion of sorts!" Cynder chuckled.

"Isn't this a reunion already?" she asked, giving out a punch line. Everyone chuckled at the joke.

"Speaking of which, finding your new home comfortable Spyro?" asked Fira. Spyro grinned.

"Yes! Quite so! You have great taste Fira, in choosing houses!" he replied.

"Why thank you. Your too kind." she replied, blushing a bit from the compliment.

"You know, we wouldn't have moved if I haven't suggested moving in the first place." said Cynder with a smirk.

"Well, good call then. Serenity is growing up each day. Socializing is very important." said Spyro.

"I concur." said Amy.

0 0 0 0 0

"So…why are you looking for Demex?" asked Errol as the trio walked down the streets of Warfang. Even Sparx looked at him curiously. Josh technically _hasn't_ told him his reason for looking for his step brother. He was inclined to know as well.

"It's…um…something…personal." Josh replied, trying his best not to lie _or_ blow his cover.

"Ah…I respect that." said Errol, nodding. "Well, whatever it is, you'll be able to ask him what it is when we get there. We're nearing the location anyways." Josh nodded. They kept going forward until they arrived at the park opposite of the main Gathering area. It is where dragons have picnics during the time of the reunion.

"Wow…nice place…" said Sparx, looking around.

"It truly is, isn't it?" asked Errol rhetorically. Josh just nodded. It was beautiful there. The Park was medium sized. There were trees that reached high to the sky but not tall enough to be noticed by dragons flying over head. The trees had thin fine green like leaves on it that swayed merrily as the winds passed by. In front of the trees was a sign. It read:

"_Ecur Tree_. Known for its leaves to have healing properties when wet with water; good substitute for red gems in case of emergency."

Josh guessed that was the name.

He looked up ahead and saw young looking dragons playing along the grass.

0 0 0 0 0

"Oof!" grunted Felix as he toppled to the ground. The red dragon rolled as his cousin rammed him.

"You're it!" shouted Damien as he stood up slightly dazed. Felix slightly coughed as he stood up. He smiled as he saw Damien running off along with Seren and his sister.

"I'll get you three!" he said, running after them. Felix stood up and ran after Serenity who was running as well, and having the time of her life.

"You can't catch me!" teased Serenity as she ran off to the bushes. Felix panted but pushed himself onwards as he followed her off to the bushes as well.

"Well…there they go…" said Damien, lying down the grass.

"Who do you think will be the next 'it'?" asked Demila, walking over to her cousin.

"I can't…really say. Both of them are good runners." said Damien, looking at her.

"I know." agreed Demila.

It was then that Demila noticed a couple of dragons walking towards them. As well as a shining light. One had green scales and two yellow horns. And had sky blue scales that covered his body with an underbelly that had dark blue colored scales. The other was actually a dragonfly. A dragonfly that seemed rather familiar…

Demila gasped as she recognized them. Even Damien, who had seen the three figures before them, gasped as well and bolted standing upright.

It was Errol, a family friend, Sparx, a relative nonetheless, and a dragon yet unknown to them!

"Hey Errol!" greeted Damien as he ran up to the adult dragon and hugged his leg.

"Well now young one, where's your father?" replied Errol after hugging him.

"They're eating at the picnic area at the other side of the bushes." replied Damien, pointing to the other side of the bushes.

"Thank you very much." said Errol.

"Hey Sparx!" greeted Demila.  
"Demila! How have you been, you've grown!" said Sparx. Demila blushed lightly at the compliment.  
"Thank you." she replied. Sparx smiled back. "Where's your brother?" he asked.

"He's chasing Serenity. We were playing tag." replied Demila. Sparx nodded.

Josh on the other hand felt contented to just watch the reunion of sorts. But when it hit him, he was surprised at a fact. Sparx knew the dragons. Then that must mean they had spent some time together…who are these _kids_?

"Well, it's best we be going now. Josh here has someone important matters to discuss with Demex." said Errol.

Demila and Damien nodded. "Let's go look for Serenity and Felix!" said Damien.

"Okay! See you later Sparx!" replied Demila. Then the two dragons ran off.

"Sweet kids." said Errol.

"I concur." replied Sparx. Josh nodded. They were really nice.

"Well, let's go." said Errol, looking at Josh and Sparx. "We're just a few feet there anyway." Josh nodded and followed Errol as he stepped through the bushes.

0 0 0 0 0

Meanwhile, Demex and others were still conversing.

"So Delnok, what's your job at Axakus?" asked Spyro curiously. Delnok smiled.

"Glad you ask. I and Spirit over here are part of the Defense there. You know dragons that protect the village." answered Delnok.

"The pay is quite good I have to say." said Spirit.

"And since everything is usually peaceful there, we rarely have to do anything." Everyone chuckled at Delnok's statement. "But we do though, get sent to places were there are disturbances. We sometimes get sent to other villages to help them out if they have trouble." Amy nodded.

"And I'm left at the house along with Krystal, filled with worry! Even Damien is getting worried about his father and grandfather!" said Amy.

"Such is the risk." said Krystal looking at Spirit.

"Much more…action filled rather than being a librarian." said Delnok, teasing his brother a bit. Demex shrugged innocently.

"What can I say, I love books!" said Demex.

"He truly does." said Fira.

"You're the same with Spyro! Both of you love books!" said Cynder. Spyro blushed and smiled sheepishly.

"I got it from my older brother! Blame him for my addiction!" he said sheepishly. Demex smirked and said in a song like tune manner,

"You can put the blame on me!" Everyone laughed.

But everyone stopped as they heard a rustling from behind. The bushes parted and everyone stared at the newcomers.

Demex saw that one had green scales and two yellow horns. And had sky blue scales that covered his body with an underbelly that had dark blue colored scales. The other was actually a dragonfly.

He smiled.

It was Errol, his fellow colleague and workmate, along with Sparx, his step brother. But who was the other dragon?

"Errol!" greeted Demex as he stood up and approach the new comers.

"Demex!" exclaimed Sparx and patted his huge brother at the head. Errol on the other hand hugged him.

"What's brings you here Errol? I know Sparx is here because he's visiting Spyro." asked Demex. Errol smiled.

"I came to visit you guys. Join in on the fun. But other than that, this dragon," he turned and directed the blue dragon. "He has been looking for you."

Demex turned and faced the blue dragon.

"Why are you looking for me?" he asked humbly. The dragon gulped and replied.

"Demex, it's me; Josh Wilbert; Josh; your human best friend."

* * *

**Author's Notes: To all my readers:**

**As for the important notice I said at my profile update, I have to say, I _MAY_ have to change the story protagonist. Depending on how the story goes, he may get a role change.  
**

* * *

**Please visit my forums!  
**

**Please take some time to R&R.**

**And favorite it, along with the author!**


	6. Chapter 6 Reunion of Sorts

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril sighed a sigh of relief as he finished the chapter you're reading right now. **

**Zayril: Thank goodness it's done. Nearly went over a week without updating...that would have been bad. **

**He then stood up, stretched and sat back down again. Looking at his computer, he clicked a few tabs and saw a few messages. **

**Zayril: Oh heck no. I am done with all of this. I'm not even going to bother anymore. **

**He crossed his arms and did a "no deal" action to emphasize his point. He was done. He was _offically_ done.**

**Zayril sighed then stood up. Accessing his media player, he turned it on and began playing songs. Then someone knocked on the door. It was Maz, Racket, Richard, Sam and Alec.**

**Maz: Should we say the disclaimers now?**

**Zayril: I guess.**

**Alec: Okay then.**

**Maz and Sam: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters. **

**Racket and Richard: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies. **

**Alec:**** All OC's used at the ~Backstage~ not belonging to Viperwatcher, belongs to their respective owners**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it. **

**Then the computer sounded again, and Zayril went over to check on it. Seeing it, he just crossed his arms again and did the "no deal" action again.  
**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMER: The town "Drakos" belongs to Yxme24.**

* * *

Chapter 6

Reunion of Sorts

Josh gulped as he tried not to stutter. He was filled with mix emotions as he did not know what Demex's reaction to his statement would be. He just hoped that Demex would recognize him and he'll just build on from there. Opening his maw, he answered the question.

"Demex, it's me; Josh Wilbert; Josh; your human best friend."

To him, it felt like an eternity as he waited for the response. He meekly shifted his eyes and saw that Sparx was giving him odd looks, as well as Errol in a manner that seem to say, _I don't understand what you just said_. Even the other dragons Josh spotted at what seemed like the picnic area. They were all curious…about him.

Demex on the other hand was somewhat struck hard at what the dragon had said; _human_. It was one word he rarely used nowadays yet he still knew what it meant. It was what he _was_. No longer _is_. He _was _a human back then, but now, he was a dragon. Yet…what struck him more that nearly floored him was what the dragon had meant to say. The dragon introduced himself…as Josh Wilbert; his human best friend.

How was this possible?

Demex knew for sure his dad would have done the right thing; to seal of the Portal Caverns to make it safe for Demex and his father. He knew his dad was smart enough to know what the consequences were if the Portal Caverns were left out in the open. Things would have gone awry. So if that were the case…how did Josh come here? Albeit, he still replied. It was a moment worth treasuring. Of course, he'll have to explain to the others later.

"Josh…is it really you?" he asked, trying to confirm it. Josh nodded.

"The one and only." he replied.

To everyone's surprise, even Josh, Demex walked over to him and hugged him tightly.

0 0 0 0 0

Everyone was literally baffled at the exchange that had happened. Demex and Josh on the other hand, acted as if it were the first time they had met after a long time of not meeting each other. And it was true. Demex kept hugging his friend tightly. He had missed him. The last time they had spoken with one another was when he was going back to the Dragon Realms. It was a long time. Even though the question of how Josh got to the Dragon Realms was a mystery to him, he felt contented that he'd just figure it out later.

As the excitement of the reunion died down, the introductions began.

"So…are you going to introduce me to your friends?" asked Josh timidly to Demex.

"Of course I will." he approached the others, who watched with curious eyes, and showed Josh to them.

"Guys, I would like you to meet Josh." he began. "Josh, I'm assuming you already met my step brother, Sparx." he pointed accordingly. "And that's Errol, my fellow work friend. That's Delnok, my older brother, that's Spyro, my younger brother and that's Cynder. That's Spirit and Krystal, Fira and Amy. And these young ones are named Felix, Damien, Demila and Serenity." he finished with a smile.

Josh on the other hand, felt slightly nervous as he was thrust into the spotlight, everyone's attention, pinned on him. Nevertheless, he got the guts to reply back. He smiled sheepishly and looked at them.

"Hey everyone." he said.

"Hey Josh." said Delnok, approaching him. "It's nice to meet you."

"Ditto." said Spyro, approaching him as well.

"Nice to meet you too." replied Josh. And well, after that, everyone went over to Josh to get to know him.

0 0 0 0 0

After the official introductions, Josh and Demex decided to have a private talk, whilst the others enjoyed the rest of the day. Sparx chatted with Krystal and Spirit, the kids and Sparx played along with each other whilst Fira and Cynder watched over them. Delnok, Amy and Spyro on the other hand, decided to just clean up the picnic as they were done eating.

"So…how was it? How's everything?" asked Demex, not really knowing where to start.

"A lot Demex; _a lot_." said Josh. "A lot has happened after you left."

"Is it really? Care to tell me at least in a summarized version?" asked Demex grinning.

"Anything for you friend." said Josh. He then scratched his chin and cleared his throat.

"Well…"

Then Josh went through all the details he could think of. On the details of how he became an inevitable Spyro Fan-Fiction writer, much to Demex's surprise. He was even more surprise by the fact that the world he was living in, was actually portrayed in a _videogame_. But it didn't bother him that much. His life was filled with surprises. He was used to it. Though, there were the occasional ones where his jaw dropped. Then Josh went through how the Drakos Dig Site had become a tourist guide. As well as how his father became a tour guide, and was a _protector_ of sorts. He was protecting the entrance to the Portal Caverns.

"And that's what's basically going on with I." said Josh, finishing his long statement.

"I see. Very interesting." said Demex, feeling happy that his parents weren't that much sad and had not forgotten about him. He _was_ still considered to be their son. Though not biologically.

"So this is what it feels like then." said Josh.

"Feel like what?" asked Demex.

"How to be a dragon." said Josh, looking at his form.

"Yup; it feels very good," he replied. "It especially when you get to fly."

At this statement, Josh visibly became dejected.

"What's wrong?" asked Demex, not knowing Josh dilemma.

"I don't know how to fly." said Josh.

At this statement, Demex nearly laughed, but realized just how hard it was to really fly; especially when you don't have any background experience in the matter. So, doing the right thing, he didn't laugh. Instead, he approached him and placed a comforting paw on his shoulder.

"I'll teach you." said Demex. Then he made a mental note. He had to teach Felix and Demila as well on how to fly as well.

"Thanks Demex. That means a lot. I can use that ability whilst I am here for the time being." said Josh. Demex smiled back.

"No problem." replied Demex. He looked back to his surrounding, and Josh followed his gaze.

It was nearing the end of the day now, and the scenery was there to prove it. The sky lit up with shades of orange and lavender as the bright sun began to set to end the day. The trees swayed as a breeze swept by, making the grass dance as well. It was beautiful to look at; the sun setting behind the city of Warfang. For some strange reason, Josh was reminded of the Big Apple. The skyline was just like New York's, except for a few unique building designs.

"We should be getting home now." said Demex. And before Josh could utter a word, he already answered his question. "You're welcome to stay at my house Josh, It's the least I can do. I'm a very hospitable dragon." he replied with a smirk.

Josh smiled. He was now set.

0 0 0 0 0

In a matter of moments, the band of dragons separated, heading back to their homes. Spyro, Cynder, and Serenity headed to their place, Sparx staying over for a while. Delnok and Amy, along with Krystal and Spirit, headed back to Axakus. Damien on the other hand was going to sleep over with Demex and his family. Errol was going back to his simple apartment of sorts.

Before long, Josh, Demex and his family, arrived at Demex's house. Josh was surprised by all of this. He knew Demex lived alone; why did he need a two story house for? A question he longed for an answer.

"We're here!" said Demex, opening the door. The kids squealed with joy and ran inside.

"I'll go in and prepare the guest room for Josh." said Fira, giving Demex a peck at the cheek.

"Okay." he replied, smiling back at her lovingly. He turned his head and was met with an unfathomable expression, etched on Josh's face.

"What?" he asked defensively.

"Did she just…kiss you?" asked Josh, the expression still there.

"Yeah…" said Demex, not really knowing what the big deal about it was. "She's my mate. Of course I'll kiss her."

"Mate?" sputtered Josh completely floored by the revelation.

"Um…yes…she's my mate. Wife in other words Josh." replied Demex nonchalantly.

At this point, Josh's jaw dropped literally. And as if it weren't enough, Felix came running to his father.

"Dad!" yelled his son.

"What is it Felix?" replied Demex.

"Is Damien going to be sleeping with me and my sister?" he asked.

"Yes he is. Josh over here is going to be sleeping in one of the rooms for now." answered Demex. Felix nodded.

"Okay!" he replied, and then ran back in.

Josh was dumbstruck.

"Sister! Dad!" he said one after the other. "Demila and Felix are your kids with Fira!" he cried.

"Yes they are. Now calm down." said Demex, trying to calm his friend down.

He absentmindedly followed Demex's instructions and went in. He sat down the chair, holding his head, trying to make the image of his friend, Demex, having a family. This was something he totally wasn't expecting. But then again, it was justifiable. Demex _did_ look old enough. He certainly was big. Big enough to be considered as an adult whoever you might be.

"So…let me get this straight." said Josh after a minute long explanation from Demex of his family tree. "You and Fira are mates. Demila and Felix are your kids. Your father is Malefor and mother is Nomex. You have two brothers, Delnok and Spyro. Spyro's the youngest and has Cynder. Spyro and Sparx are _technically_ brothers, making Sparx your step brother. Spyro and Cynder have Serenity as a child. Delnok's the oldest, with Amy. They have Damien. And Amy and Fira are siblings, and Spirit and Krystal are their parents. Did I get that all correct?" asked Josh.

Demex tallied it for a moment, and then replied. "That's about it."

For a moment, Josh was quiet trying to churn it all inside his skull. Eventually he got it churned and came up with a decent reply.

"You have one big family tree!" blurted out Josh.

* * *

**Author's Notes: To all my readers:**

**Just a notice for the ~Backstage~, it's nothing related to writing or my stories.  
**

**

* * *

Please visit my forums!  
**

**Please take some time to R&R.**

**And favorite it, along with the author!**


	7. Chapter 7 Work In Progress

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril was hanging out at the living room, reading his school books.**

**Maz: Why are you studying?**

**Zayril: My exams are this coming 8/11~13/10. I have to study hard so I won't fail.**

**Racket: REALLY! They are?  
**

**Sam: Yup. He told me already. Go Zayril go!**

**Zayril: Thanks guys.**

**Alec: I hope you get high scores! By the way, I think it's time to do the disclaimers!**

**Zayril: Oh right.  
**

**Maz and Sam: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters. **

**Racket and Richard: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies. **

**Alec:**** All OC's used at the ~Backstage~ not belonging to Viperwatcher, belongs to their respective owners**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it. **

* * *

Chapter 7

Work In Progress

Day broke. The sun was slowly creeping up the forest line and going to the city of Warfang. Along with it as its warm ray of sunlight that illuminated the empty streets of the dragon city that was slowly coming to life. The sunlight moved swiftly, as the sun rose slowly. It eventually hit a house, and seeped into the open window and into a bedroom.

Slowly, an eye opened followed by another. Josh was now awake. He sat up and stretched like a cat. His bones _cracked_ into place, as his long body got stretched. He looked around sleepily and for a moment, seemed lost. But then he had remembered where he slept. Standing up, he made his way to the door and opened it. He carefully made his way down the stone steps, careful to not make any sounds to not wake the kids up. Arriving at the first floor, he felt contented to lie down the sofa and rest his eyes a bit, as he tried to wake up.

A _lot_ had happen yesterday. It took a toll on his body. He still wasn't used to being a dragon.

He rubbed his eyes and sat up. Looking outside the window, he could see the sun still rising and it wasn't that much bright. It must have been 6:00 AM. Seeing as he had nothing to do, he decided to look around the living room, and much to his delight, he saw a bookshelf. Standing up, he approached it and examined the titles. There were odd titles as well as straight forward ones. _A Dragon's Verve, the Walls of Warfang, Avalar a History, _and there was one that seemed so old, its title had been wiped off.

Getting curious, he decided to take the one that had no visible title.

The book was leather bounded and seemed old. The front and back had no visible signs of even having a front page, signifying how old it really was. Opening it, he let out a cough as the smell somehow irritated his nose a bit. Looking at it, the pages were brown and reeked of old paper smell. He turned his head and began reading the book to try and get a sense of what it was. But it was too hard to do so. Most of the text was either faded to be clearly read or just had no logicality in them to be deciphered. Some sentences were faded out completely, leaving only a word, sometimes only a letter, to be read.

Some of the passages didn't even make any sense.

He sighed and decided to return the book. It was a waste of time of trying to read it. Just as he did so, a sound came from above and he looked up. Fira was going down the stairs now, followed by a sleepy Demex. Josh stared at Demex for a bit and felt a shiver. The scar on his face was still visible even though he was a dragon.

"Good morning." he told the husband and wife.

"Good morning Josh." replied Fira, as he headed towards the kitchen.

"Got any good sleep?" asked Demex.

"Yup; I actually slept much better _here_ rather than at the human world." answered Josh. Demex smiled.

"Good." said Demex, heading to the dining hall.

"Where are the kids?" asked Josh, curious to where the younglings were. He followed Demex to the dining room where the two of them sat at the available chairs. Fira was visibly busy inside the kitchen. Delicious smells began to emanate from it, making Josh's mouth water.

"They're still asleep. But in a few moments, they'll be awake." answered Demex, yawning slightly as he removed some rheum from his eyes.

"I see." said Josh, removing some from his eyes as well.

As if on cue, Demex's prediction came true.

Sounds of paws came from the stairs as the three young dragons woke up. Not long after, Josh saw the familiar three dragons appear again in front of him, who greeted him accordingly.

"Good morning Josh." replied Felix as he sat beside him.

"Good morning…Felix." replied Josh, quickly remembering his name.

"Well how was your sleep?" asked Demex.

"Not bad. Damien kept snoring loudly." answered Demila, teasing his cousin.

"I did _not!_" replied Damien defensively.

"Sure you didn't." said Felix, staying neutral.

"Now, now. Demila, stop teasing your cousin; we all know he snores loud. Just like his father." Demex said, joining in on the teasing. Damien just bowed his head in shame.

"I don't snore as loud as my father…" he mumbled to himself. Josh, feeling a bit sorry, reached over and patted him on the end.

"Don't be down Damien. For the record, I am the one who snore the loudest amongst all of us!" said Josh, doing a self tease.

Everyone laughed. It was a good start for the day.

0 0 0 0 0

"Where you headed Fira?" asked Demex as he lounged at the sofa at the living room. He was waiting for Josh and the rest of the kids. They were still washing up at the bathroom.

"I'm heading to the Temple. You're father might want to know about this." replied Fira, in a serious tone.

"About what?" asked Demex.

"Josh. About him being entirely here. I know it's nice to meet up with your human best friend Demex, but haven't you wondered how he got here?" asked Fira.

"I have. He told me the story of how he got here whilst we were chatting yesterday." said Demex. "He clearly said he didn't touch anything."

"Which bothers me more." said Fira. "You see, you activated the Portal when you touched it right?" she asked. Demex nodded. "Now, with that case, how did the Portal come to life without him even touching it?"

Demex pondered on the matter and realized Fira had a good point. The Portal can only be activated by touching it, as far from experience works for him. And Josh clearly told him that he _didn_'_t_ touch anything. Even his father had warned him about it. So…how exactly _did_ it come to life?

"I see your point." said Demex, realizing that there must be something going on with the Portal Caverns. Fira nodded.

"So, I hope Josh learns to fly as well as the kids." she came over to him and pecked him at the cheek. "I'll be seeing you later." she said slyly, making her tail run from his chest and tickle his chin, before she walked away. Demex sighed happily.

"Of course you will. Stay safe." he said as she headed out the door.

"Back to you dear." replied Fira.

0 0 0 0 0

"So it's true then?" asked Felix. "You can't fly Josh?" the young dragon asked.

"Yeah...I'm the same as your father." he replied. Demila gasped.

"You come from the Other World too!" she asked curiously.

"Other World?" asked Josh to Demex. He smirked.

"That's the technical term to _your_ reality Josh. The human world is called the Other World." he answered. Josh nodded and turned to Demila.

"Yes. Yes I do."

"Wow…" said the three kids in sync.

"Well, were arriving near the park. Remember those hints I gave you four?" asked Demex as they rounded around the corner of the street, the entrance to the park quite visible.

"Yeah; be sure to flap at the right angle; flap with energy and pure concentration." recited Josh.

"And remember to have fun!" added Damien. Demex smiled and patted Damien on the head.

"Good. Flying should come naturally to all four of you." said Demex.

0 0 0 0 0

Fira flew above the plains of Avalar. Wisps of clouds flew by, as well as the landscape under her zoomed by. The trees swayed merrily as the winds that helped her get there blew over them. She was traveling for about four hours now and the Dragon Temple was becoming visible at the distance. Its figure slowly rose from the distance, starting from a non noticeable speck, to a big mass of stone. The surroundings began to slowly change as they continued onwards to the temple. Fira looked down and now she could see a river running below her. Up ahead, she could see the Temple slowly grow as she approached it.

Reaching close proximity, she slowly made her descent.

Landing down the patch of grass, she made her way through the courtyard and headed to the main entrance. The big double doors opened and in came in Fira. Numerous dragon students were walking around, no doubt strangers to her. Of course, being taught to show respect, they greeted her accordingly.

"Good morning." greeted on of the dragons that she passed by.

She smiled and replied, "Good morning to you too."

Making her way through the crowd, she arrived at the Guardians' Room and knocked.

"Hello?" she called out.

"Wait a minute!" said a voice that came from inside the room.

There were some audible sounds of something moving and shifting, then eventually the sound of the door being opened. The door opened and the head of the Fire Guardian appeared.

"FIRA!" exclaimed Malefor as he looked at his daughter-in-law.

"Hey Malefor." greeted Fira, before hugging him. Malefor hugged him tightly before releasing her.

It was a long time since they last met. He couldn't come to the reunion of sorts yesterday because he was busy dealing with Guardian related things at the City Center.

"What brings you here at the Temple?" asked Malefor.

"Important matters." answered Fira. Malefor quickly jumped to conclusions.

"What did Demex do?" he asked seriously. Fira shook her head innocently.

"No. It's not that." she replied. Malefor nodded and visibly relaxed.

"What is it then?" he asked, leaning on the wall.

"It concerns him; a friend that made an unexpected and unexplainable visit; as well as the Portal Caverns." As soon as the mention of the word, Portal Caverns and friend, Malefor immediately stood straight and looked at her seriously.

"I see this is serious. Let's talk inside my office." said Malefor.

0 0 0 0 0

"So…his friend didn't touch anything?" asked Malefor for clarification. Fira nodded.

The two were inside the Guardians' Room, with Malefor resting on one of the chairs and Fira on the sofa.

"This is bad." he said darkly.

"Why?" asked Fira.

"The Portal opening itself on its own like that, means something is making it open. An unknown force is creating Portal Fluxes on the Portal Magic." said Malefor.

"Is there a way to fix it?" asked Fira.

"Portal Fluxes are a result of something powerful messing with the Magic that makes a Portal a Portal. It messes it in a way that it opens and closes randomly, and in rare cases, even closing even though there's someone traveling through them. It's mostly caused by natural causes like earthquakes. Eventually, Portal Flux fixes itself on its own; like when the earthquake finally stops. But in our case, it would seem that it isn't the cause of an earthquake. It's something far worse. The Flux is so messed up; Josh didn't get to the end of the Portal. He just got chucked out in mid-flight. Like I said a very rare case." explained Malefor. "And I have a feeling this Flux is going to get worse…" said Malefor darkly. Fira nodded.

"So, if we stop whatever it is causing the Flux, it'll get fixed." deducted Fira.

"Logically, yes." replied Malefor. Then he turned and looked outside.

"Oh my, I have to get going now. I'll discuss this with the other Guardians later." said Malefor standing up. "Right now, I have to deal with a problem."

"What problem? Maybe I can help." suggested Fira.

"No. It's nothing really. I just have a class to teach at the moment, and I'm running late." answered Malefor.

Fira nodded and smiled.

* * *

**Author's Notes: To all my readers:**

**Honestly, when I made the chapter title, I thought it only meant to two things. But now they're 3!**

**1. Josh's flying skills.**

**2. Plot development for this story.**

**3. My studying!**

**In other news, I would like to thank "someone compleatly random" for pointing out a very important detail to me. And P.S. I think you should fix your username, it's spelled wrong. But it's only a suggestion.**

* * *

**Please visit my forums!  
**

**Please take some time to R&R.**

**And favorite it, along with the author!**


	8. Chapter 8 A Lesson

**~Backstage~**

**Shadow was walking down the halls of the ~Backstage~ when he passed by the living room. Maz, Racket and Alec were hanging out.  
**

**Shadow: What are you guys doing?**

**Alec: Nothing much..**

**Racket: We're kinda bored right now.**

**Shadow: Where's Zayril? Normally he's here right?**

**Maz: Well, he's at the mall. Paying for the Internet bill. **

**Shadow: What?**

**Alec: Yeah. Apparently, the whole reason why the internet was on the fritz, was because he forgot to pay the bill.**

**Racket: So, when he gets back, we should be in full connectivity again.**

**Maz: Thank goodness.**

**Shadow: So...what do you guys want to do whilst he's gone?**

**Racket: Do the disclaimers?**

**Alec: Yeah, we should.  
**

**Maz**** & Alec****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters. **

**Racket: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies. **

**Shadow: And on his behalf: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it. **

* * *

Chapter 8

A Lesson

"Where are we going dad?" asked Serenity.

"To the park." answered Spyro.

"What are we going to do there?" asked Cynder curiously.

"No reason. I decided that our family needs some quality time more. And besides, I have a feeling that your cousins are going to be there as well." said Spyro.

"Really?" asked Sparx.

"Yup." answered Spyro.

Serenity beamed and began to have a skip in her step. Cynder smiled. It was good to see that their child was enjoying and having the time of her life. Sparx on the other hand felt contented and rested himself on top of Serenity's head, earning him a playful giggle. Spyro leaded on and in a matter of moments, they rounded on a corner and arrived at the familiar looking park. Going in, Spyro was right; Demex and his family were there, though, Fira wasn't present. Spyro looked at them curiously, as Josh, Damien, Felix and Demila stood in a single file, whilst Demex was standing before them. It looked like he was teaching them something.

"Hey guys!" called out Spyro. Demex looked up and smiled. As well as the four turned their heads and saw the oncoming new party.

"What are you guys doing?" asked Cynder, approaching Demex.

"I'm teaching them how to fly." answered Demex. Cynder nodded then looked at Josh surprised.

"You don't know how to fly?" asked Cynder curiously. Josh nodded.

"He's from the Other World!" answered Felix for him. All of the new comers looked at him shocked.

After a brief introduction and truth revelation, everyone at the Park was on the same page regarding Josh. Demex even told them the reason why Fira wasn't with them.

"I see." said Sparx.

"So you didn't arrive at the Portal Caverns?" asked Spyro.

"Nope; I landed somewhere at a forest. That's how I met Sprarx. Wasn't it supposed to be like that?" asked Josh.

"No. Portals have entrances and exits. If that had happened, something must be going on with the Portal." said Cynder.

"Which is the main reason why Fira is at the Temple; she's asking my dad if there's something wrong with the Portal." everyone nodded to Demex's statement.

"So…can I help you guys in teaching them how to fly?" asked Spyro.

"I want to help too!" said Sparx.

"Serenity, you can fly now right?" asked Felix.

"Yup! My dad taught me how!" said Serenity flapping her wings and getting a few feet off the ground.

"Good for you…" mumbled Damien.

"Don't worry young one. Flying is easy!" said Spyro.

"And this is coming from someone who thought he was a dragonfly." added Sparx, earning him a glare from Spyro.

"I know that. It was priceless." whispered Josh to himself.

"Said something Josh?" asked Demex.

"Oh…nothing." he answered innocently. "C'mon, I'm getting anxious!"

"Okay then!" said Demex, clapping his hands. Then he began teaching them the basics.

At the side, Cynder sat beside Spyro along with Serenity as Demex began giving the pointers. Sparx was flying beside Demex, helping him spot out the wrong things his students were doing.

"You know…I remember the time we taught Demex how to fly…" remembered Cynder.

"Really? You were the one who taught him?" asked Serenity.

"She did." replied Spyro.

"I was the one…but we forgot one thing to teach him…" said Cynder, a smile creeping on her face.

"And that was?" asked Spyro and Serenity.

"To land." she replied, remembering what had happened.

0 0 0 0 0

After learning the basics, Josh immediately tried it for himself. It was hard at first, trying to move a muscle he never he had. It was even tiring for him. Moving a pair of big, not to mention heavy, muscular wings, can take a lot out of you. He was panting already after a few beats of his wings.

"You okay Josh?" asked Demex, walking over to him. He stopped momentarily to talk to him.

"What do you think?" he asked, in between breaths. "This flying thing was harder than I thought!" he exclaimed. Demex smiled and patted him at the back.

"Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it." said Demex. "Mind showing me how you flap?" Josh nodded and inhaled. Exhaling, he began to do it again.

This time Josh slowly flapped, trying his best to maintain a good rhythm. Demex nodded at his form. It was good. Getting a good rhythm, he continued to flap and slowly this time picking up speed.

"Keep going!" encourage Demex further.

And Josh did so. He kept going…and going…then…he was gone.

Before Josh knew it, his paws were…slowly…lifting off the ground.

"You're doing it Josh! You're doing it!" cried Demex, feeling ecstatic for his best friend. Josh was now beaming as he slowly gained height. Even Spyro and Cynder clapped, along with their daughter at the success in front of them. Not long after that, like follow the leader, the kids slowly took off, one by one.

"This is amazing!" said Demila.

"I as well!" yelled Felix.

"I completely agree!" said Damien as he followed after his cousins.

Josh felt like he was high, _literally_. Before he knew it, he had raised a good enough height, that he had reached the highest point of the nearest tree he can see. He looked around and saw the rest of the kids reaching up to his height, Demex and Sparx following close behind. Josh on the other hand began experimenting and before he knew it, he had figured out how to spin a good 360 degrees.

"Now try and fly around now." said Demex. "Sparx, you watch the kids okay?"

"Got it." said Sparx, following the kids as they flew around. Before long, they had started an aerial tag and was now flying around, trying to evade the 'it'.

"How is it so far?" asked Demex, flying close to Josh.

"Simply…amazing." he said, completely lost for words.

"I'll just be watching over the kids. Can I trust you well enough not to fall out of the sky?" asked Demex with a smirk.

"Of course." said Josh, smiling. Demex nodded then flew off.

For a brief moment, Josh felt like he was at the top of the world. He was flying. Something he had always been wanting to experience. And now that he had, it was the best thing ever.

Well…until…

A loud _hissing_ sound became apparent as it echoed through the entire sky. At first Josh didn't take note of this. It was when he felt a strong gush of wind rush him, when he did. Then he heard shouts and screams which made him turn his head. What he saw, completely floored him, for he wasn't expecting it.

A large oval had appeared on top of the sky, covered by clouds, and was the main cause of the blasting of the wind. It seemed obscured and faded, but it was sure as heck there. It was the kids along with Sparx, who were the ones screaming, as they got blown towards the trees. It was only Josh's safe distance from the oval that was protecting him from the very strong winds that can blow him away. But even then, he was in a false sense of security. He looked and examined the odd figure in front of him. It seemed like a gateway to another world…

A word came to his maw as he knew what to call it.

"JOSH! Get away from the Portal right now!" yelled someone from down the ground. He looked down and saw Spyro yelling at him.

So it was a Portal…but didn't Portals only exist at the Portal Caverns? What was going on?

Before he could even comprehend what was going on, the Portal began to fizzle and hiss. Then, a bolt of lightning passed right through it, and struck Josh, to his horror. He felt his body spasm as the sudden jolt of energy coursed through him. He was being electrocuted alive. Then, before it began, it had stopped, along with the activity of the Portal. The winds stopped, along with everything. It looked like nothing had even happened!

But then…

Josh flapped his wing and was surprised by the sudden kick he had. One flap of his two wings sent him flying at a fast speed one can only reach by flapping for about ten times. He zoomed high up in the air, getting slightly nauseous from the sudden increase of speed. He wanted to stop badly. But the problem now was…how?

Apparently, Demex forgot to teach him one important thing. And that is how to land.

"How do I stop!" he shouted at Josh and the others from the ground.

But it was already too late. He was in for an imminent collision course with the ground.

Everyone immediately ducked as Josh came swooping down on them. He crashed on the ground with a _thud_. Due to the size of his body, he managed to create a small ditch on the ground, where he landed. Dust and smoke got raised from his area and everyone heard his voice as he called out.

"I'm okay." groaned Josh as his body ached a little at his rough landing. He heard something fizzle and hiss before he heard the sound of paws running over to him.

"Déjà vu much?" asked Demex.

"That was some crash!" said Felix.

"Yeah!" added Damien. Demila on the other hand, caring for Josh, smacked the two in the head for their enthusiasm

"Are you injured?" asked Cynder, checking him for injuries.

"I don't think so." said Josh, sitting up.

"What in the world just happened?" asked Spyro, confused at the events that had transpired.

"I don't know. But I know one thing for sure." said Demex.

"And that is?" asked Sparx.

"That's not normal. A Portal doesn't appear out of thin air like that." said Demex darkly.

"I know." said Cynder.

"So what do you think is the cause for it?" asked Spyro.

"I don't know. But I have a feeling we'll find out soon." said Josh, groaning as he arched his back.

Then everyone turned their heads when Demila's voice ran through their ears.

"Hey look! It's Errol!" squealed Demila.

Everyone looked at the dragon running towards them, and was surprised at the expression it had. It translated to one thing. Something bad happened.

"What's wrong Errol?" asked Felix.

"It's the Library. Something bad happened!" he said, panting slightly.

* * *

**Author's Notes: To all my readers:**

**Yeah, that's basically the whole reason. My dad forgot to pay the bill.**

**

* * *

**

**What could have possibly happened to the Library, that had Errol running for help? Why did the Portal appear out of nowhere? What was that bolt of lightning? Why did Demex say ****Déjà vu****? All questions will be answered...in the next chapter.**

**Please visit my forums!  
**

**Please take some time to R&R.**

**And favorite it, along with the author!**


	9. Chapter 9 Trouble with Portals

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Finally! Chapter 9 is here! This took me way too long.**

**Maz: Really? It only took you 3 days? **

**Alec: That's long already?**

**Zayril: Yup. I am aiming to get back in the groove like back then when I was still writing Halo. Chapter _per_ day. **

**Racket: PER DAY! You did that?**

**Zayril: Yup. Those were the golden days. My keyboard kept tapping and tapping!**

**Sam: Wow...**

**Shadow: Out of curiosity, how long do you work on a chapter Zayril?**

**Zayril: Back then, only a day. Nowadays, a chapter takes me about 3 days in average. 5 days when I am struck _hard_ by Writer's Block or when I am way too busy to do it. Doing these TBD 2 chapters isn't easy as it seems to be. Plot is _SO MESSED_ up, it's hard to transfer to paper! I have _SO MANY_ scattered plot devices, and I am left with piecing them together in a coherent manner! It's a tough job. Toughest one to date! Especially with the lack of encouragement (reviews).**

**Maz: LONG ANSWER! I think it's time to do the disclaimers!  
**

**Maz****, Shadow & Alec****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters. **

**Racket & Sam: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies. **

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it. **

* * *

Chapter 9

Trouble with Portals

"What happened?" asked Demex.

"Just come with me! Hurry!" said Errol seriously.

"Okay, Cynder, Sparx, you take the kids back to our house for the time being. I, Josh and Demex will go see what seems to be the problem." said Spyro, taking charge.

"Sure thing bro. You can count on us." said Sparx, doing a salute to emphasize his point.

"Dad, please be safe!" said Demila and Felix hugging their father.

"I will." replied Demex,

"You too dad!" said Serenity and did the same with her father.

"Stay safe Errol." said Damien.

"We all will." said Josh. At this, Cynder nodded, and the party separated.

Now it was just the 4 men.

"C'mon guys." said Errol.

"Lead the way then." said Demex.

Immediately, the four of them began running, following the same path heading back to the Library. When they got there, Josh was slightly intrigued. He looked at the Library, and the surrounding area. _Nothing_ seems to be wrong. What was Errol playing at? But he guessed that the problem must be _inside_ the Library, not the outside. They kept following Errol until they reached the main entrance.

"Here's the problem." said Errol standing beside the door.

Every single one of them, except Errol, got into a battle stance, and readied themselves for anything that may come out the door. Josh felt nervous, as he knew quite clearly he was the weakest amongst the 3 of them that were to ambush. Spyro was definitely stronger for obvious reasons. Demex had much more experience than him. But what did he have? Nothing; he was still basically a newbie. He hasn't even learned yet how to use his element. Nevertheless, melee was always an option. His claws looked awfully sharp.

Errol opened the door, and it creaked, revealing a sea of white that covered the entire area of the Library. It was unmoving as it clumped and clustered all over the place.

"What…are…those?" asked Demex, not relaxing.

Then, as if to answer his question, the sea of white began to move. It shifted, and gave out a sound that sounded…terrifying?

"Bah!" it yelled.

"Get ready to attack!" said Spyro.

"WAIT!" said Josh abruptly and visibly relaxed.

"What is it?" asked Demex, looking at him as if he were crazy for trying to halt an attack. Errol on the other hand stood beside Spyro.

"Relax guys. Those aren't enemies." said Josh. And as if to prove his point, the sea of white began to move thus separating them individually. One of them came out into the open and Josh smiled. He was right.

"These are sheep!" blurted Spyro, relaxing.

"And _that's_ the problem I have." said Errol.

"Why is it a problem?" asked Josh.

"Well, for obvious reasons. Sheep aren't supposed to be inside the Library!" answered Demex, walking to over to one and petting it.

"How did it get in there anyway? And the sheer amount of them…" said Josh, seeing the flock of sheep come out. Once one came out, follow the leader began. Before the 4 knew it, they were surrounded by sheep that were bah-ing.

"What in the world?" Josh asked rhetorically.

"Indeed Josh, what in the world, indeed." said Errol.

0 0 0 0 0

After clearing out the sheep at the Library, with the help of a few local civilians, the 4 decided to head back to Spyro's place for lunch.

"Well, it all started when I was just doing my regular Librarian duties." began Errol, as he began to explain what had happened. "I was walking around the Library normally, up until when I felt a strong gush of wind rush me from behind. Papers began flying everywhere. Then, that's when the sheep appeared. They seem to have fallen from the sky…or the ceiling!" he exclaimed.

"They didn't." said Spyro. Errol seemed surprised but nodded.

"Where did they come from?" asked Errol.

"A Portal; it fits since there was the trademark rush of wind." explained Demex.

"A Portal? But aren't Portals like…have an entrance and exit? They only appear at either 2 of those locations?" asked Errol.

"Well they do, but something tells me this isn't something natural. Something's causing the Portals to act like this." said Demex.

"I completely agree." said Josh.

"Guys, I'm sensing another adventure in the making." said Demex with a smirk. Spyro smiled playfully.

"Right you are there Demex. We may have another one in our hands. It's been a good 12 year peace…but the peace doesn't always last." said Spyro.

"Mind tagging me along?" asked Errol playfully.

"Of course Errol; but who'll watch over the Library?" asked Spyro.

"The Head Librarian." he answered plainly.

"Can I join?" asked Josh. Demex and Spyro looked at one another then to him.

"Of course!" said the two in sync.

0 0 0 0 0

"Mommy, are they going to be alright?" asked Serenity.

"They are sweety. They will be." said Cynder, comforting her daughter.

Then there was a knock on the door.

"Felix, can you go get that?" asked Cynder. Felix nodded then stood up and headed for the door. Opening it, he gave a happy squeal as he saw his father standing outside.

"Dad!" said Felix.

Almost everyone in the room liven up at that point. The worry had been relieved and everyone was happy again. Demila came running towards his father and hugged him tightly, much to Demex's surprise. Josh on the other hand just felt contented to watch from the sidelines, he himself pondering. Sparx was somewhere around the hugging masses, no doubt squeezed.

"_So this is what Demex's life is_…" he thought to himself. "_Quite interesting…strong family ties…adventures…family life…_"

And then he came to an important question, he had been stalling to answer.

"_Should I stay at the Dragon Realms…Or go back to my world…_"

He carefully weighted every advantage and disadvantage it would have given him. If he lived here, he wouldn't worry about school anymore; something quite great and awesome on its own. But in doing so, he won't be able to meet up with his parents. It was something that wasn't much of a bothering subject, but still, he thought his parents at least should know he was safe.

He let out a sigh as he was confused. He decided to give the subject a rest for now. He'd ponder on it later on. And a good thing to, he felt someone tap him at his right foreleg. He looked down and saw that it was Felix.

"What is it?" he asked. The red dragon smiled at him.

"You seemed troubled. Anything wrong?" asked the dragon. He smiled.

"I'm fine Felix. Thanks for asking." he answered.

Felix smiled back and headed back to his cousins, whom were now just chatting. Errol was just at the side, contented to just sit down and read a book. Sparx was the one watching over the kids, whilst Spyro, Cynder and Demex were discussing matters at the kitchen. No doubt about the whole Portal problem.

Having nothing to do, he went to one of the bookshelves and grabbed a book. Much to his surprise, it was a _thick_ book that discussed how to breathe ice. Basically, a book teaching ice dragons how to breathe their element. He smiled. He now had something to do, to pass the time.

0 0 0 0 0

Later that day, Josh groaned.

"_In order for one to master ice, one must feel their power within them. One must grasp it then mold it and focus all the energy in one place. Once done, one must release it; in one long exhalation of breath."_

It was night time now, and he was "studying" in his room. With permission from Spyro, he borrowed the book and brought it home with him. Now he was sitting there, scratching his head as he went over the procedures on how to do it. He had been exhaling for quite a while now, with little to moderate success. So far, he had only been successfully to exhale, _cold_ air, but not really ice filled air.

But he was determined to get this one skill down, as he knew he'd need it to survive in the Dragon Realms.

0 0 0 0 0

At the other room, Demex and Fira were preparing to sleep. Demex was just about finished telling her the ordeal they had at the Library.

"I see…just like your dad said. The things happening are what Portal Fluxes are." she said, and then she explained to him what they were, and how they were caused.

"So let me get this straight, a Portal is like a tunnel, where in, when a Portal Flux happens, there is a possibility of that tunnel ending all of a sudden, but not necessarily at its predestined exit point. It just runs out of ground, chucking out everything it's transporting to wherever it stopped?" asked Demex.

"Yeah; pretty much. Like, instead of exiting the Portal at Portal Caverns like normal, when the flux happens, you end up in Warfang." said Fira.

"And the fluxes are caused by earthquakes eh? But there weren't any during the time it happened." said Demex.

"If that were the case, then this problem must be resolved quickly. _Something_ is definitely messing with the Portal. But what is it, that is the question." said Fira, hitting it directly on point.

"It is." said Demex.

"I smell another adventure coming up." said Fira.

"Me too." said Demex with a smirk.

"I'm getting too old for this. Any guesses to what may happen this time?" she asked.

"I have no clue...or guess. It's too complicated right now." said Demex.

"I concur. It is too complicated right now." agreed Fira**.**

* * *

**Author's Notes: To all my readers:**

**I am having trouble with the TBD plot. It's true. I'd be lying if I wasn't. Nevertheless, if you are confused about the TBD plot right now, I am to. But don't be shy to ask for clarifications about certain things.  
**

**

* * *

Please visit my forums!  
**

**Please take some time to R&R.**

**And favorite it, along with the author!**


	10. Chapter 10 Cynder's Errand

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: *finishes typing* YES! I'm done!**

**Maz: YEY!**

**Shadow: Took you long enough.**

**Zayril: Yes I know. But at least over the course of the day, I have finally collected my ideas, brainstormed, and now knows where this story is headed.**

**Alec: Really?**

**Zayril: Yup.**

**Racket: That's good to hear!**

**Sam: Congrats Zayril!**

**Zayril: Why thank you! I think it's time for the disclaimers.  
**

**Maz****, Shadow & Alec****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters. **

**Racket & Sam: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies. **

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it. **

* * *

Chapter 10

Cynder's Errand

The next day, Josh, Spyro and Demex were preparing to head to the Temple, to meet up with Malefor and discuss about the plans on how to stop the Portal Fluxes. Cynder, Fira, and Sparx on the other hand, were left with babysitting duty per se, with Cynder bringing Damien to Axakus, to get him to meet up with his parents again.

"Be careful you three!" said Fira, as the three men headed out the front door.

"We will Fira. We'll be back around later." said Demex, giving her a peck at the cheek.

"See you later Dad! You too Josh! Same with you Spyro!" said Demila, waving at the two of them. Josh smiled and waved back.

"Bye!" said Spyro and he closed the door behind him.

As the three of them began walking, and was about to fly off, Spyro came up with an idea.

"Hey guys, want to hear something?" he asked.

"What is it?" asked Demex.

"Instead of flying there, want to just teleport there?" he asked with a playful grin.

"You can teleport!" asked Josh, completely floored. It seemed like he was learning something new everyday! And up to this point, the progress on his ice breath was slow but steady.

"Yup; I can. So what do you guys say?" asked Spyro to his brother.

"I guess it couldn't hurt." said Demex, thinking it clearly.

"Gather around me then." said Spyro.

Josh nodded and stood close to Spyro. In a matter of moments, they had huddled around him, feeling the usual uneasiness of being close.

"I hope this doesn't hurt…" said Josh.

"Don't worry Josh. Portal sickness isn't that bad. The landing is." said Demex, trying to assure him. Josh gulped. The assuring didn't seem to help.

"Temple here we come!" said Spyro as he initiated his Portal Powers.

There was a bright flash; once it subsided, the three dragons were no longer there, instead, there were just a smoking, charred floor, and the dragons completely gone.

0 0 0 0 0

"You ready Damien?" asked Cynder, as she approached Damien.

"Yup!" he replied, walking up to his aunt.

"Bye Damien! Come visit us next time!" said Serenity, hugging her cousin.

"Yeah!" replied Felix as he ran over and bro hugged his cousin.

"Sleep over to our place next time!" said Damien.

"We will!" said Demila as she hugged him goodbye.

"I'll be back around later. Sparx, you help Fira watch over the kids." said Cynder to Sparx who flew towards them.

"Okay." he replied.

Cynder and Damien then went outside, and Cynder saw the charred ground a few feet in front of them.

"What's that Cynder?" asked Damien.

"That…is what your uncle does when he's lazy," she said with a sight smirk. "Now come on, fly close to me. I'm bringing you home."

Damien nodded and spread his wings, along with Cynder. In a matter of moments, the two dragons took off and into the sky. With Damien rocking a bit slightly as this was his first official flight to any particular location.

The flight to Warfang and Axakus wasn't half that bad. Since the town was relatively close, they didn't have to fly for long. Once they were airborne, Cynder took lead and began heading to the direction of Axakus. The scenery began to change around them as they began to get farther from Warfang. Trees began to become noticeable as well as some rolling hills with some clear animals grazing at the open fields. Wisps of clouds past by them, some they passed right through. Damien looked around with awe. This _was_ his first flight, and first time seeing the sights, the sounds and the smell. In a matter of moments, a location became quite visible in the distance.

Axakus was your normal typical tribal village; quite simple. The houses were made of what seemed like stone substance. The same one used to make the buildings at Warfang. The roofs were made of wood. And a large wall made of logs of trees surrounded the village to protect it from the hazards of the woods surrounding it. The village Defenses, dragons who volunteered to protect the village in exchange for income, walked on the logs on equal intervals. A large sturdy double door gate with torches on either side stood as the entrance to the village.

They landed in front of the village; Cynder landing gracefully, but Damien landing horribly, he basically landed with a _thud_. Cynder walked over to him and helped him up.

"You okay?" she asked. Damien just smiled sheepishly.

"They forgot to teach me how to land," he replied. "And yup, I'm okay."

"It seems every first time flyer crashes on their first flight." said Cynder, commenting on how it's becoming a normal thing.

Damien stood up and headed to the front gates. He was finally home.

"HALT! Who goes there!" asked one of the dragon guards, whom was on his rounds, who spotted them walking.

"I am Cynder, and this is Damien. We wish to visit on family matters." The dragon guard scrutinized them for a moment but eventually relaxed.

"You may enter." said the guard.

"Thank you." replied Cynder and then the sounds of a heavy dead lock being moved were heard and the door opened up.

0 0 0 0 0

"Damien!" called out a voice as the two of them were walking down the village path. Cynder turned around and amidst the crowded path was a dragon walking towards them. He was a big dragon, about the same size as Demex. He had a white underbelly with red fiery scales. On his face was a smile and cheerful look.

"Jareth!" exclaimed Damien and ran up to hug him.

"Hey there little guy!" he replied hugging him.

"Who are you?" asked Cynder curiously, wondering why Damien was so close to the dragon.

"I am Jareth; a close friend of Damien's father here. I was the one that sold my house to them." he answered.

"Ah…so you are Jareth. I am Cynder, Damien's aunt. Nice to meet you; how are you doing?" asked Cynder.

"Quite fine, thanks for asking. What are you two doing here?" he asked.

"I'm dropping Damien off to his parents. His time is up for sleeping over at Demex's place." answered Cynder.

"Ah…well, it was nice to meet up with you. I have to go now." said Jareth.

"Where you headed?" asked Damien.

"Just some matters I have to attend to." he replied before walking off.

"He's a nice guy. Truly nice indeed." said Cynder.

"I couldn't agree more." said Damien.

0 0 0 0 0

Later that day, Cynder succeeded in bringing Damien to their house and was now chatting with Amy. Damien was playing with his grandmother outside.

"So…how's everything now? Where's Delnok. I haven't seen him." said Cynder.

"He's at his post. No doubt doing his job." answered Amy.

"Ah…I forgot about that." she replied sheepishly then the two of them chuckled.

"I've met Jareth by the way; a great guy; good to know that you have a good family friend. What's his job anyway? He seemed busy." said Cynder.

"I think he is a messenger. But I can't quite say for sure. I could be wrong." said Amy.

"I hope Damien didn't cause you any trouble." said Amy. Cynder smiled.

"No he didn't." Amy sighed in relief.

"That's a relief. Electric dragons, whilst they are young, are quite active." she said. Cynder nodded and saw the time.

"I have to go now. It's a bit of flight from here to Warfang." she said standing up.

"It was nice chatting with you Cynder. Serenity is welcome to sleep over here anytime she wants." said Amy.

"Back at you too." said Cynder, and then headed off.

0 0 0 0 0

Meanwhile, at the Temple; it was completely dark now, around 7:00PM. The moon was out, shining brightly down the Temple grounds which illuminated its grassy terrain. Then out of nowhere, a light flashed and three bodies landed with a soft _thud_ at the grassy ground.

"I feel sick…" a voice came from the bodies.

"You'll get used to it Josh." said another voice.

"Get off me Demex please." a third voice sounded.

Demex obliged and Spyro sighed in relief. As the two got their bearings, Josh looked around.

"Hey guys, is it me, or is it night already?" he asked.

"It's not just you. It is night already. Spyro?" asked Demex, looking at Spyro.

"The Portal problems must have messed up Portal Teleportation Physics creating a slow teleportation. I think it's best we avoid teleporting for now." said Spyro standing up fully.

"I completely agree." said Josh then the three of them headed to the insides of the Temple.

"How am I going to explain this to Fira…" mumbled Demex as they headed inside.

0 0 0 0 0

He walked with a limp as his body was giving. All around him were nothing but darkness, for surely there was no light. The trees swayed all around him as he kept walking, walking to no particular direction. He didn't know where he was headed, but he didn't care. He just kept walking; he was lost and confused. He didn't know what happened. But right now, it didn't matter. He was wounded and that's what mattered. He needed to get his wounds to stop bleeding or else he was going to die from the massive loss of blood.

But where can he possible heal himself?

He didn't know where the nearest possible town was. He was in an area where he wasn't really familiarized. To top it off, he was dazed from what had happened. He couldn't even remember what happened. He was _too _dazed.

It was all going downhill.

Then, his vision blurred as he ran, making his field of vision vanish completely. He tripped, making him tumble and lay on a heap on the ground. He lay there, bleeding out, death slowly creeping up to him. He was _dying_, much to his horror. Much to his displeasure, he looked up and was surprised to find two orbs of light, torches no doubt, and a large sturdy gate. He was dying…at the entrance of a village. He was so close. Yet not close enough. He couldn't yell for help. He didn't have enough energy left. Then his vision began to fade. The last image being imprinted on his mind was the village wooden gates before he passed out because of loss of blood. Help that was there that never came.

And he couldn't do a thing about it…

But it seems…fate had a different idea.

No sooner than he fell towards the ground, activity rose inside the village. Someone had spotted him. Grunts and yells were heard as the gate was dragged open, its wooden hinges creaking as the wood created friction. Dragons, wearing primitive armor local to the area, ran to his aid.

"Quick! Get him to the healers!" yelled an authority figure.

Following obediently, two dragons quickly hefted the passed out dragon into the village. The figure watched solemnly as the guards took the wounded dragon away. A dragon walked towards him, looking wary and tired, but still alert.

"Was it me or was he a black dragon? A _dark _dragon perhaps?" he asked.

"No…dark dragons are more volatile and vicious. They aren't easy to be wounded. He must be _naturally_ a dark scaled dragon. I wonder who he is." he replied. The dragon nodded.

"That is the entire question in all our minds." The dragon beside him smiled.

"Do not worry; we can ask him when he wakes up." He smiled back.

"That we shall; we definitely shall." said the dragon.

There was a moment's silence between the two, until it was broken.

"So…you or me, Delnok?" asked the dragon.

"I'll do it Spirit. I'll check on him first thing in the morning." said Delnok. "Let's head back home."

* * *

**Deja vu anyone? It is now finally revealed who those two familiar characters were. With that bit of information, we come close to figuring out the mystery dragon. We will know who he is...in the next chapter.**

**Please visit my forums!  
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**Please take some time to R&R.**

**And favorite it, along with the author!**


	11. Chapter 11 Happenings

**~Backstage~**

**Maz was walking down the hallway and saw Zayril's door was closed. Curious, he was about to knock when Alec stopped him.**

**Maz: What?**

**Alec: Don't bother him. This is not the best time to bother him.**

**Maz: Why?**

**Racket overheard their conversation and answered his questions.**

**Racket: His college entrance exams are on 8/29/10. Today is 8/27/10. He really needs to study _bad_. **

**Maz: Really!**

**Alec: Yeah. All we can do now for him, is pray to God that he passes his exams. And do the disclaimers.**

**Maz: I agree Alec. I completely agree. Don't worry. I'll pray for him. Now let's do the disclaimers.  
**

**Alec****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters. **

**Racket: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies. **

**Maz: And on his behalf: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it. **

* * *

Chapter 11

Happenings

Demex, Josh and Spyro went in the Temple and weren't surprised to find the halls deserted. As the two walked down the halls casually, Josh had to walk slowly to take everything in. This _was_ his first time coming into a Dragon Temple and it was surely a memorable experience.

"What do you think of it Josh?" asked Demex.

"It's…nothing I have ever seen before." he answered honestly.

"Yeah…these hallways are _filled_ with memories for each and every one of us." said Spyro.

"Really?" asked Josh.

"Yeah…see that hallway?" asked Spyro pointing to one particular area.

"Yeah…" said Josh looking at it. Spyro blushed slightly from the memory but continued.

"Well, that's the very same hallway where I and Cynder first shared our kiss." said Spyro, relieving the memory in his head. Josh and Demex just looked at each other and Josh had an idea popped into his head.

"So…how about you Demex. Where was the place where you and Fira shared your first kiss?" asked Josh curiously. Demex closed his eyes and relieved the memory.

"It was a hotel room of sorts. I was injured and she was the one taking care of me. And then…I got the courage then and there…and told her my feelings." said Demex, sighing.

"And up to this day, I'm still loving that memory." he said, opening his eyes again.

Josh nodded and turned his head when he saw Spyro running up to a door at the corner.

"This is it; the Guardians' Room. Malefor, Cyril, Volteer and Terrador should be in here, resting no doubt." said Spyro.

"Wait what!" snapped Josh. "Did you just say Malefor!" he asked for clarification.

"Yes…I did. Something wrong about my father?" asked Spyro, turning to face him.

"Nothing…it's just that…I wasn't expecting him…to be the Fire Guardian…" he said as he pieced everything together.

He knew that Malefor was Spyro and Demex's father. But he _never_ knew that he was the Fire Guardian. Of course it was logical that due to Ignitus' passing, per se, he was needed to be replaced. It just never occurred to him that Malefor would be the one chosen to replace the dragon.

"I'm sorry Josh. I must have forgotten to tell you that." said Demex.

"Okay, now that that's done, time to get to the topic at hand." said Spyro. Josh nodded as Spyro knocked on the door.

Of course, they came here for one reason. And it was to come and talk about how to fix the Portal Problems that are, for a fact, getting worse each and everyday.

Josh strained his ears and could hear some shuffling inside and the sound of the door opening. He gulped as he was about to come face to face with a villain that went to the good side. His heart was beating very fast and he didn't understand why; anxiety maybe? It must be.

The door creaked open and their stood…Malefor in all of his pure villain awesomeness. Josh couldn't help but stare. He was much better in real life. He was larger than life;_ literally_. He was bigger than he imagined. He knew that his size was of a normal adult, but Malefor still towered over him. His gaze traveled over his rich purple scales and into his overall physique. For an old dragon to boot, he was fit.

"Spyro, Demex? What are you two doing here my sons?" he asked, his voice reverberating against the silent marble walls.

"Dad, this is Josh," began Spyro. Then he summarized who Josh was, and everything on how he came to their universe from the Other World.

"Nice to meet you Josh; a friend of my children, are a friend of mine as well" said Malefor nicely.

"Nice to meet you too." replied Josh, then Malefor cleared his throat.

"The Portal Fluxes must be getting worse." said Malefor.

"Yeah…so is there, like, any chance or method of fixing it?" asked Josh.

"I'm afraid the only solution, is to stop whatever is causing the Flux to begin with." answered Malefor.

"How do we do that?" asked Demex.

"That is something we will discuss tomorrow. I am tired, and you three are no doubt tired. Spyro, Demex, you two can rest at your old rooms. Josh, you can sleep with Demex if you want to." said Malefor.

"Fine by me." said Demex, looking at Josh.

"Fine by me as well." then Josh yawned, telling everybody that he was tired already.

0 0 0 0 0

Day broke; the bright sun began to rise from the hills and slowly bask the land with its gentle warmth. Its rays raced down the terrain and slamming into forest, lighting it up like a flashlight lights its targets. It continued on and on, until it arrived at the town of Axakus, signaling for the sleepy town to wake up. Its rays infiltrated the streets and entered the windows, one of which was the Healers' Clinic.

There was one row of bed inside the small clinic, desks at the side, a bookshelf here and a shelf on the other. Almost all the beds there were empty, except for one which was currently occupied.

0 0 0 0 0

The rays of the sun hit his face, and inevitably stirred him from his slumber. He shifted; trying to avoid the heat, but found out it was no use. He was already too conscious to sleep. Opening his eyes, all he got was a hazy vision of a room filled with obscure items. Eventually clearing, he recognized he was inside what seemed like an infirmary.

"What happened…?" he asked himself. He then closed his eyes and tried to remember what had happened to him. All he got was a fizzle and a slight headache from his brain. Trying to remember them seemed like a very heavy task that he could, for some reason, not do. He decided to just give it up for a while and just lay there for now.

Then he heard footsteps.

He sat up and looked to where they had come from. He looked just in time to catch a glimpse of an adult ice dragon entering the door. The ice dragon looked surprised to see him looking at him.

"You're awake." he stated. The dragon just nodded. The ice dragon approached him, and examined him.

"Hmm…your wounds seemed to have healed themselves quite nicely. First things first, I am Delnok. How do you feel?" asked Delnok.

"Uh…better I guess…my body doesn't hurt that much anymore." he answered.

"Good…what is your name?" asked Delnok. At least, with this question, the dragon didn't have any trouble remembering his name.

"Despair; I am Despair." he answered him.

"Okay, Despair," began Delnok. "What were you doing outside our town, all bloodied up and somewhat near death, at the dead of the night?" he asked curiously, wanting to know the dragon's background.

But unfortunately for Delnok, Despair _still_ couldn't remember what had happened. He did remember vaguely him walking down the woods wounded, but before that, nothing more. It just fizzled in his head. He couldn't remember his history or what had happened before the events that had happened last night. All he could remember was his name. All of this, he told Delnok accordingly. There was no use with lying. Delnok seemed like a good dragon to him, to say the least. And besides, what was the point in lying?

"So you can't remember eh?" asked Delnok, a bit of skepticism inside of him but no trace of it in his voice. Despair nodded.

0 0 0 0 0

He opened his eyes with a slight hint of daze. He was staring up at the ceiling and found out that his tongue was dry. Apparently he had slept the night with his tongue lolling at the side. He coughed and licked his lips as he slowly sat up. He looked around lazily and yawned as a new day began.

Josh hefted a sigh as he stretched, his dragonic bones cracking and giving off sounds normally disturbing to humans. Of course, Josh was now getting used to dragon like habits. With a grunt, he stood up and headed out the door. The first thing he saw was a dash of blue standing in front of him.

"Oh! You're awake!" exclaimed Demex. Josh yawned.

"Yeah…good morning to you too." replied Josh sleepily.

"I was planning on waking you up earlier, but you seemed like you had a nice sleep." said Demex with a smile.

"Well, it was a nice dream. I was…using my element, ice." he said happily. Demex cocked his head.

"Hey, you don't know how to use your element right?" he asked. Josh nodded sadly.

"Yes, up until then, I am defenseless." he replied.

"Don't worry. We can arrange something." said another voice from behind them.

The two of them turned and saw Spyro heading towards them, his father behind him.

"Thanks Spyro. I'd appreciate it." said Josh. Spyro patted him at the shoulder.

"Its nothing." he replied.

"Sons, Josh, we just received an urgent message today." said Malefor.

"What is it?" asked Demex. Josh stood beside Demex, listening intently.

"It appears that one of the towns near us, Axakus, just reported that they had found a _black_ scaled dragon." said Malefor. Josh visibly jerked a little, sensing that the statement was slightly racist. Demex however, knew this and explained it to him.

"Josh, it's not racist. It's just that, black scaled dragons are normally discolored dragons due to the darkness taking over them. It's very rare to find black scaled ones, like Cynder, but if you were to find one, they would either be evil, or have a history of being taken over by darkness. Like Cynder." explained Demex.

"Ah…so it isn't racist then." replied Josh. Demex nodded. Then Josh turned.

"It's not racist okay. It wasn't intended to be racist, if it sounded as if it was, he was sorry for making it sound like it. Stop thinking its racist." he said to no one in particular.

"Who are you talking to?" asked Spyro.

"Someone that's there but we _rarely_ address." said Josh, turning back to face them. Malefor turned his head and faced the direction he looked at. Then back to the three.

"Ah…" he commented.

"Anyways, I suggest you three head over there. Check him out. See if he has any connection to the Portal Fluxes." ordered Malefor.

"You got it dad." said Demex.

Malefor nodded then the three dragons headed outside, next stop, Axakus.

0 0 0 0 0

At Warfang, Errol was busy fixing the Library. He was called a librarian for a reason. As he walked over to some shelves, arranged some disarranged books, he came upon one that caught his attention. It was a rather old book, quite tattered, unused, and definitely not been opened for a _long_ time. Curiosity creeping into him, he opened it and his eyes widened as he scanned the text. This book could definitely help them in their situation right now, with all these mayhem with portals. He quickly grabbed it and ran over to their desk. He needed to get this book to the right dragons. And those dragons were none other than the Guardians. They definitely, for sure, are dealing with the portal problems, and no doubt they'll need all the help they can get.

And help was coming…sort of.

Packing his things, Errol headed to the office of the Head Librarian and told him he had to leave due to an urgent event happening. The Head Librarian agreed for taking over a while, and Errol headed out of the library, heading to the Temple.

0 0 0 0 0

Felix, Demila and Serenity were walking down the street. Earlier the day, they had asked permission from their parents, Fira and Cynder respectively, that they'd take a walk. And they did. Cynder's house was now just a couple of blocks away, viewable in the distance, which Felix noticed.

"Want to do a race?" he asked playfully. Demila sighed.

"Nah…I'm tired. I think I'll walk." she replied. Serenity nodded.

"Ditto…" she added. Felix scowled.

"You guys are no fun." said Felix. Serenity smirked.

"Correction, _gals_." she said teasingly. Felix rolled his eyes.

"_Okay…_you _gals_ are no fun." repeated Felix. Demila chuckled, Serenity and Felix followed after.

The three were enjoying their walk when all of a sudden there was a rush of wind that erupted closely beside Felix and Demila. It was like a wind tunnel. It all seemed to familiar.

"WHOA!" he exclaimed, nearly being blown away.

"What in the—AH!" exclaimed Demila, as she was suddenly pulled to what now was clearly a portal, formed by a Portal Flux once again.

"DEMIL—AH!" shouted his brother, who tried to grab her paw, but was sucked in as well. Serenity managed to grab a bench at the side and watched in horror as his two cousins get sucked into the portal, which vanished in a blink of an eye. As soon as it disappeared, everything stopped like nothing happened. She was panic stricken, more over recovering from the shock, as it all happened _very_ fast. Good for her quick reflexes she got from her father. As soon as she was good, she immediately stood up and ran towards her house. She needed to tell this to her mother.

This was a _very_ bad situation.

* * *

**Author's Notes: To all my readers:  
**

**I'm a nervous wreck right now guys. I applied for college this Thursday (8/26/10) and found out that my exams are on this Sunday. Talk about being BOOTLEG. I only have 3 days to prepare which is being done badly. I DON'T EVEN FREAKING KNOW WHAT TO STUDY. *sigh* All I ask now guys is just support, and hope to God that I'll pass. I'd really appreciate it. I'd REALLY do.**

**On another note, I'd like to give special thanks to "Alec the Dark Angel" and "someone compleatly random" for sticking and being constant reviewers for this story. Unlike others...  
**

**

* * *

Please visit my forums!  
**

**Please take some time to R&R.**

**And favorite it, along with the author!**


	12. Chapter 12 Entity

**~Backstage~**

**Richer was walking down the halls of the of the house when he saw Zayril fixing a few of his things at his desk in his room.**

**Richer: Need some help?**

**Zayril shook his head. Zayril: No need. I just need to dispose of these.**

**Richer nodded and got him a trash can. Zayril dumped the things he had in there and Alec passed by.**

**Alec: You're throwing those away?**

**Zayril nodded. Zayril: Yup. I was getting tired anyway.**

**Alec looked at the things he dumped and saw a folder marked "SS ideas".**

**Alec: Really? Seriously?**

**Racket passed by along with Maz.**

**Maz: He's serious about that one.**

**Racket: Tough luck. Time to high tail I guess. Where's the next digs located?**

**Zayril: I'll tell you later.  
**

**Richer: Well, I think it's time now to do the disclaimers.**

**Zayril: I think it is.  
**

**Alec**** and Richer ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters. **

**Racket and Maz: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies. **

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it. **

* * *

Chapter 12

Entity

Demex, Spyro and Josh were flying through the air, Josh flying a bit wobbly. He was still not used to flying which got him to be in the middle of Demex and Spyro. He was there just in case he something bad happens as a precaution Demex and Spyro took. Josh looked around happily. Everything seem felt like a rush to him. It was wonderful to examine the landscape as it change from hilly, to being forest-y.

"There it is! Axakus!" pointed out Spyro out in the distance.

Josh looked forward, and saw Axakus itself. The town situated in a forest. He noted how Axakus looked like your normal typical tribal village; quite simple. The houses were made of what seemed like stone substance. The same one used to make the buildings at Warfang. The roofs were made of wood. And a large wall made of logs of trees surrounded the village to protect it from the hazards of the woods surrounding it.

He also saw some dragons walking on the wooden logs, no doubt guards watching over the village. A large sturdy double door gate with torches on either side stood as the entrance to the village.

The three male dragons landed on the soft ground, Josh no doubt landing a bit ungracefully. Nevertheless, they made their way through the front gate. One of the guards saw them coming from the distance and was about to yell out the common procedure but recognized it was Spyro and his brother…and a friend.

"Greetings Spyro! What brings you to our village?" asked the guard.

"We have reached news that you found a dark dragon. We would like to speak with him." replied Spyro.

"I see. Well, carry on then." replied the guard. Josh looked at the door as he heard it creak open. The guards nodded to them, even to Josh, much to his surprise, as they passed.

Axakus was quite different. Josh had found himself staring at anything that seemed remotely curious for him. His head was turning all over the place. Before long, the trio had arrived at the Infirmary and had come upon Spirit and Delnok, questioning a black dragon.

"Ah, my brothers," he then saw Josh." And friend, you have come." said Delnok, greeting Demex and his company..

"Yes…it would seem this dark dragon you guys found may have a much bigger role to play." said Demex.

"Really?" asked Delnok.

"Yup; and I am Josh by the way." Delnok nodded.

"Help us interrogate him then." he added.

0 0 0 0 0

Serenity ran as fast as she could, her heart pumping quite very fast. She needed to tell her mother what had happened. This was an important matter. For all she knew, something bad had already happened to Felix and Demila! She wouldn't let her cousins down. She wouldn't.

Turning around the corner, she spotted their house and dash right onto the front yard. She frantically opened the door, walking in on her mother and Fira chatting at the living room.

"Serenity! You got home fast! Where are your cousins?" asked Cynder.

Serenity caught her breath and told them what had happened. How a portal appeared out of nowhere; how it sucked her cousins in and teleported them to wherever it was possible to get teleported. Upon hearing the news, Fira was flabbergasted. She couldn't chew it all in. Her children…had gone missing.

"We have to find them! They must have been chucked out somewhere! Maybe they could just be somewhere here in Warfang!" she said standing up, her body filled with adrenaline. Her motherly instincts were kicking in. She needed to take care of her young ones. And she'd do whatever it takes to keep them safe.

"I agree. Let's go! Serenity, we'll need your help." said Cynder, feeling Fira's emanating energy. Serenity nodded and the three dragonesses headed outside to look for Felix and Demila.

0 0 0 0 0

In a far away place, large crystal clear stalagmites rested on the floor and stalactites hanged from the ceiling. It was quiet and the only audible sound was the sound of dripping water. White misty air blew occasionally, signifying how cold the place was. Then, the silence was disturbed as the sound of rushing air flowed through the caves, followed by the sound of screaming, then the sound of bodies crashing on the floor.

"Oof!" grunted Felix as his body crashed down the slippery floor. Close to her was her sister, Demila, feeling a bit nauseous and dizzy.

"Where are we?" asked Felix, trying to stand up.

He looked around and could only describe the place as somewhat of a winter wonderland. All around him stalagmites and stalactites of what seemed like pure ice surrounded him. He shivered as a chilly wind blew over him. The place reminded him of Dante's Freezer. This was a very odd place to get transported. How were they supposed to get out of here?

"Felix…where are we?" asked Demila, worry noticeable in his voice. Felix sighed. Her sister was getting scared. She was really good when it comes to facing danger. But she had her moments. Felix walked over to her and patted her.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you." he said Felix. Demila visibly stayed near his brother as they began to walk through the icy cavern. They had to make ground and find someplace to escape this place. After a few minutes, they saw something that caught their attention.

"Felix, what's that?" asked Demila, staring at the ice in front of her. Felix looked ahead and saw nothing but ice. But examining it clearly, he saw what seemed like an out of place ice rock. The two of them carefully walked up to it and couldn't believe their eyes.

"Is that what I think it is?" asked Felix.

"I think it is…" said Demila.

In front of them was one large ice crystal that seemed like an ice wall as it reached to the ceiling because of its enormous size; it was even seeping white icy smoke, showing just how really cold and thick it was.

Sharp white cracks were visible at the ice crystal. Felix approached it and placed his paw on it. With one wipe, some of the haze wiped away and the two off them managed to peer inside the ice crystal to confirm what they saw. Demila gasped. It truly was what they saw.

There, inside the ice crystal, was an adult dragon, frozen in time; literally.

But before they could even say a word, another familiar gush of wind rushed over them. Felix turned his head and saw a portal opening up a few feet from them.

"Demila, this is our ticket out of here!" shouted Felix as he grabbed onto his sister. Demila, who was staring at the dragon inside the ice, snapped her head to turn to him. She nodded and held his brother's paw. Together, the two of them ran inside the portal, and in a flash, everything inside the ice cavern became quiet once again.

0 0 0 0 0

Errol landed at the grassy grounds of the Temple, book in his side bag. He had finally arrived at this destination. Climbing up the steps, he didn't waste any time and immediately headed to the Guardians' Room. Turning around a corner, he knocked on one of the doors and it opened moments afterward, Malefor at the door.

"Who are you, and how may I help you?" he asked kindly.

"I am Errol, one of your son's good friends, and I think I can help, with your problems with the portals." he answered. Malefor blinked, and remembered the name.

"Errol, the librarian?" he asked for clarification. Errol nodded and Malefor ushered him in.

Inside the room, Malefor and Errol seated themselves at one of the desk. Volteer, Cyril and Terrador were out, teaching their classes.

"How can you help us with this important matter?" asked Malefor. Errol took out the book he had and opened it in front of him.

"I found this book whilst I was looking over the shelves. I had recently experience the portals first hand, so I know what it is. This book, details portal activity; the author even stated that there are other _worlds,_ aside from ours, that sometimes gets linked because of the Portal Fluxes." said Errol.

"_Like the Other World with Josh…_" thought Malefor. It was how Josh ended up here in the Dragon Realms in the first place. It was case of Portal Flux. He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"It is said here that when Portal Fluxes gets worse, it means that there is something messing really bad with the magic. It can be natural…or not. Seeing as that this is quite obviously not natural, the book states that the only being _capable_ of doing so…is a

sorcerer." said Errol.

"Are you implying, that a sorcerer is messing with Portal Magic, thus creating the Fluxes, thus messing us up _here_, in our world?" asked Malefor.

"More or less, yes; because obviously, no one here is a sorcerer; that being must be from another world." said Errol.

"We have to stop him." said Malefor, understanding the logic. "If these fluxes keep going at this rate, who knows what will happen."

"Completely understandable." said Errol.

0 0 0 0 0

Loud sobbing was emanating from within the house as teardrops dropped from her face, and crashed onto the floor. Her chest heaved as she sniffled; muffled cries came out of her maw.

"Fira…it's going to be okay." said Cynder, patting her at the back. "Felix and Demila…will find them, don't worry."

Serenity padded over to her aunt and comforted her as well. "It's going to be okay Fira. They'll come home. Don't worry." said Serenity.

Fira had been crying for a long time now. The thought of her two children gone missing was too much for her to handle. Thoughts of things happening to them, rushed through her mind. And more so, thoughts of Demex being angry at her, for losing his son and daughter; it was all too much for her to handle. She had to breakdown. And the only way of fixing her, was to get her to see her children again.

0 0 0 0 0

"Damien!" yelled his mother. "Watch your aim!"

"Sorry!" replied Damien, focusing on his target again.

Damien, Amy and Krystal were out at the backyard of their house, lounging around. Damien was training his elemental aim whilst Amy coached him. Krystal just felt contented to watch over her daughter teach her grandson.

It was all fair and well until a strong gush of wind blew…

* * *

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	13. Chapter 13 Reprieve

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Hey guys! Sorry for this uber long update! But I hve a good reason to why I am updating today!**

**Alec: And that is?**

**Zayril: Today is Spyro's Birthday!**

**Richer: Really!**

**Maz: Yup! Just double checked it! The first game came out on September 10 1998!**

**Racket: That's awesome! **

**Zayril: I know! And now we have to do the disclaimers!  
**

**Alec**** and Richer ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters. **

**Racket and Maz: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies. **

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it. **

* * *

Chapter 13

Reprieve

Felix and Demila braced for impact. They clearly saw the familiar ending of the portal and saw ground at the end. They went into a fetal formation and prepared for the hard oncoming ground. A few seconds later, they got out; their bodies tumbled and rolled on the ground as if quarters rolling on the floor. Demila stood up, wobbling a bit as she felt a bit nauseous.

She stood up, waiting for the spinning world to come into focus when all of a sudden, she felt a paw touch her on the shoulder. She jumped, falling down the ground again, much to her dizziness.

"Demila? Felix? What the heck just happened?" said a voice, sounding concerned, approaching them.

Felix looked up and was surprised at what he saw. Approaching him was none other than Krystal, Damien's grandmother. And walking beside Krystal was Damien himself.

"Felix? Are you okay!" asked Damien, running up to his fire dragon friend.

"I think so." he replied.

"What in the world happened?" asked Krystal. Beside Felix, Amy walked over to Demila and checked on her.

"Amy…?" asked Demila, looking up at the figure looking down at her. Three dragons seemed to have been looking down at her, spinning in a clockwise direction. But the dizziness eventually stopped and she recognized the dragon.

"Amy? Is it really you?" asked Demila, grabbing the paw that was extended to her and standing up.

"The one and only; mind telling me what happened?" asked Amy.

0 0 0 0 0

After getting oriented from a disorienting ordeal, Felix and Demila began telling their three dragon audience of what had happened. Damien, Krystal and Amy all listened intently and it was only after they finished, that Amy realized something.

"We need to get you two home." she said, standing up. "My sister must be very worried about you right now." Felix and Demila nodded. Felix looked outside and saw that the sun was already setting. It was getting late. They disappeared around midday earlier. That was a long span of time.

"We're coming with you." said Krystal, standing up as well.

"Why mom? You can stay here and watch over Damien." asked Amy curiously.

"Well, it would be dangerous to go alone." she answered.

"Who's going to watch over my son?" asked Amy.

"He's coming with us." replied Krystal.

"Really!" asked Damien excitedly.

"Well…okay. Let's go guys." said Amy.

0 0 0 0 0

Josh sighed as he processed the facts. They _thought _that the black dragon found at Axakus was the cause of the fluxes. It seemed perfect from the logic. Something bad happens, a black dragon appears. But then again…things didn't seem to always follow logic. After some thorough interrogation which seemed to have lasted the whole day, they had come to a conclusion. Despair, the black dragon, seemed innocent. From what they had gathered, apparently, Despair didn't remember anything that had happened aside from the fact that he was wounded and was escaping? He wasn't even sure. All he knew was he was wounded and was heading to no particular direction. Like that helped a lot. They were basically back, to square one.

But then, in a way, they weren't. At least they had established that he was part good. But they needed to make sure he was good, because, well, having an _evil_ black dragon running around, with Portal Fluxes amiss, _definitely_ isn't a good idea.

"Well, at least we know for sure you have control on yourself. If you _weren't_ we would have been attack by now. But all that is circumstantial." said Delnok.

"I agree." said Spirit, looking at Despair as he was kept company by Josh.

"What should we do? We still have to check him. Even though he may seem good now, his dark side may come out later." said Spyro.

As the gang conversed, Josh and Despair did as well.

"So Despair's the name eh?" asked Josh. The black dragon nodded.

"Nice name." he replied, trying to start a conversation.

"Same with you." he replied, smiling.

"So you really can't remember anything?" asked Josh. Despair nodded sadly.

"I try my best…but it just fizzles." he answered. Josh patted him at the back.

"Don't worry. You'll remember it soon." he replied, and that was when Spirit came over.

"Despair, it appears we are still suspicious of your true intentions are. From experience, they may show themselves later, so we can't really get our guard down and trust what you say." said Spirit.

"I understand." replied Despair. "So what happens now?"

"Well, we head over to Warfang." said Delnok, approaching them.

"Why? What's at Warfang?" asked Josh, voicing Despair's question as well.

"Well, my mate, Fira, has this ability that can be used in this kind of situation; which is, to prove if Despair is evil or not." said Demex, approaching.

"That is why we're heading there." said Spyro.

"All of us?" asked Josh.

"Yup; we're going to be bodyguards." said Delnok to Josh, patting him at the back.

0 0 0 0 0

Josh was actually genuinely surprised when he heard that Fira actually HAD ability like that. As they were flying, Demex was the one who told him all about it. Apparently, it had help quite greatly when they were determining if Malefor was purely evil, or was _controlled_ by something, making him evil. It helped greatly in cleaning Malefor's dirty name…maybe it could help cleaning Despair's name as well.

Making their way through the village and then lifting off, it didn't take long for the six male dragons to see Warfang in the distance. They flew in a tight formation. Despair in the center. Spyro, Delnok, Demex, Spirit and Josh surrounding him; it was true, they did act like bodyguards.

Before they knew it, they were flying over the dragon city Warfang, making their way to Demex's home.

0 0 0 0 0

Fira was sniffling as her mind ran scenario after scenario of what on earth could have possibly happened to her children. Cynder was besides her comforting her as always, whilst Serenity was at the kitchen, cooking some meat and basically dinner for them.

"Don't worry Fira, everything is going to be okay. They'll come home. Don't worry." said Cynder, trying to comfort her. She herself was getting worried about Felix and Demila as well.

And that was when…a knock was heard on the door.

Serenity went over to the door at the front door and checked it. She opened it and couldn't help but gasp at the sight in front of her.

"MOM!" she yelled out. Cynder stood up, along with Fira, wondering what had happened. They headed to the front door and Fira couldn't help but cry again. Not cry because of fear, but cry as in tears of joy.

Standing at the front door, were Krystal, Amy, Damien, and to Fira's delight, Felix and Demila. Fira rushed up to her children and her children to her as well. They collided in a force of reunited hugging as the two parties had finally been reunited.

Cynder went over to Krystal and Amy and asked what happened. Damien went over to Serenity and began helping her cook.

And that was when…another knock was heard on the door.

0 0 0 0 0

Josh just raised a brow. It seemed that a lot of things had happened that day. Aside from them going to Axakus to question Despair's innocence on the whole Portal Flux affair, things were also going on at Warfang. One to point out was that, Felix and Demila had apparently been sucked into a Portal Flux, getting lost. Fira had broken down and had been crying all day, only to stop as Krystal, Amy and Damien brought her children back to her. Apparently, they had ended up on their backyard.

But the thing that got Josh the most was when they did the test for Despair. Everyone had settled down and once everyone was on the same page, basically about everything, which took a lot of time explaining, they finally did it.

What came out surprised all of them.

Apparently, Despair…was_ not_ evil.

Quite a turning point for all of them; finding this piece of information, Demex, Spyro and Josh sighed as they came no closer to finding out what was the cause of the Portal Fluxes. They just hoped that the Guardians had figured out something whilst they were gone.

0 0 0 0 0

As the night droned on, everyone had to rest and that was where they had to split up. It was decided that since they _could_ accommodate him, Demex and Fira let Despair rest and live with them for a while since the poor dragon was lost, confused and didn't have anything to go with. Spirit, Krystal, Delnok and Damien decided to sleep at Spyro and Cynder's for the night since Axakus was a long flight and the older dragons were already tired.

When it was time to sleep, Josh headed to his designated bedroom and found that Despair was there as well. He was staring out at the window, admiring the night sky.

"Wonderful isn't it?" asked Josh. Despair nodded whilst Josh lied down the bed.

"Get some rest Despair. I can tell we have a lot to do tomorrow." said Josh, yawning.

"I agree. I can sense it too." he replied, heading towards his bed.

As the two of them prepared for bed and was on the brink of sleeping off, Despair asked a question.

"Do you think I'll ever get my memory back?" asked Despair.

"That..." began Josh. He sighed. Despair _was_ an amnesiac. And amnesia had its on cases and methods for each on getting their memory back. And the methods he knew wouldn't seem to work on the circumstances right now. "…I guess so. But don't try to remember too hard Despair." he told him.

"Why? Wouldn't that be a good thing?" asked Despair curiously, looking at him.

"Well…trying to remember _is_ a good way on getting your memory back, but trying too hard isn't. You see, when you try too hard, your memory might lie to you."

"Lie to me? How does that work?" he asked.

"Well, your mind might create a _fake_ memory for you, to appease your desire on finding that specific memory. In other words, you might remember something, that you believe you actually did it, but in reality, you _never_ did; your mind creates this illusion that you did what you were trying to remember, to stop you from thinking more about it."

"Ah…I see…" replied Despair.

And that was the end of that conversation. Both were lost in their own thoughts, and soon…lost consciousness, as they fell asleep.

* * *

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	14. Chapter 14 Intention

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Hey Guys! Wassup! Viperwatcher here! With an uber long update!**

**Alec: Hey, what the heck is wrong with you? What's with the long update?**

**Richer: YEAH!**

**Zayril: I got stuck. BAD. That's the bad news. The good news is that I am unstuck...for the time being, and will be updating like normal again! And besides, school really took a toll on me.**

**Maz: Ah...that's why.**

**Zayril: I hope this update has been worth it! It's time we get a move on with the plot! Time for the disclaimers!  
**

**Alec**** and Richer: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters. **

**Racket and Maz: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies. **

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it. **

* * *

Chapter 14

Intention

Dawn broke. The morning sun crept up and illuminated the sleepy dragon city that was now slowly waking from its drowsy stupor. Dew hung in the misty air as everything was soaked with it. Josh groaned as he felt his body come to. He opened his eyes and was greeted with a blurred sight as they began to refocus. He could hear a faint snore as his roommate was still there. Despair was laying limply, sunlight creeping up his maw and soon would hit his face.

Josh stretched and looked outside.

Warfang was now slowly waking up, going to do its usual routine.

But he had a feeling that everything would go anything but usual. It was a feeling note noting. Something shifted and he looked beside him. Despair had woken up and was now stretching himself.

"Good morning." greeted Josh.

"Good morning to you too." replied Despair.

After some morning rituals, the two dragons headed downstairs and found that rest of the household seem to have woken up earlier than usual. Felix and Demila were already up and about, chatting with Demex, as Fira served them breakfast. After saying their good mornings, they began to eat their daily morning breakfast.

"What's on the agenda today Demex?" asked Josh.

"Well, we still need to deal with the Portal Fluxes. I'll head to the Tem—"he began but was cut off as there was a knock on the door.

_Knock._

_Knock._

"Who is it?" asked Felix to the front door.

"It's Errol." replied the voice.

Demex looked at Fira, earning him a shrug, and headed to the door. It swung open and there was the librarian standing at the front door.

"What are you doing here so early Errol?" asked Demex politely.

"Demex, the Guardians are looking for you." answered Errol.

He needed not be told twice.

0 0 0 0 0

"Why did you call us here?" asked Delnok.

"Yeah Dad?" asked Spyro.

Malefor sighed and replied. Malefor, Errol, Delnok, Spyro and Demex were inside the Guardians office. Malefor's sons were called by Errol earlier to head to the Temple, as they finally got a solution on how to deal with the Portal Fluxes.

"We now have a possible solution to the Portal Fluxes." said Malefor. Everyone listened intently and leaned in, wanting to know what it was. Malefor then began to relay to them the discussion he had with Errol, regarding the Fluxes being caused by a sorcerer at another world.

"At another world?" asked Demex.

"Yes, at another world." said Errol.

"Well, following the logic, he would have to be at another world. Or else we would have solved these Portal Fluxes" said Spyro.

"Question now is, how do we find this world, and how do we get there." said Delnok.

"Well, you basically still need to use the Portal Caverns, but how would you manipulate it, so that you'd go to another world, instead of the Other World." asked Malefor.

"A good question indeed." said Errol.

"We could try the Temple library. It has far more _older_ books than the ones at Warfang." suggested Demex.

"Good idea bro. Let's start there. Find any book that discusses Portals and Other Worlds." said Spyro.

"Books…why does it have to be books?" groaned Delnok.

0 0 0 0 0

"Anything?" asked Josh. Despair shook his head.

"Well don't try too hard. Remember what I told you last night." said Josh.

"Don't worry Despair, it'll come back to you!" said Felix energetically.

"Yeah, memories that are important can't be forgotten. It'll surface eventually!" added Demila.

Josh looked up at the sky and saw the clouds rolling by. They were at the park right now. Demex's house was quite close to Warfang National Park, so they decided to head there. Fira had a few errands to run, and Josh and Despair were in charge of watching over the kids. The four of them were on the ground, in a circle, backs to the ground and laying flat. They were, in a way, sunbathing.

"Why not try remembering…something very important…like your parents or grand parents." suggested Demila.

"Okay…I'll try that." replied Despair. There was a moment's silence.

"I don't remember much of my grand mother." said Felix, breaking the silence.

"Why is that?" asked Josh.

"My parents say she's dead, grandmother on father's side that is." said Demila.

"She's dead?" asked Josh. "Demex's mom is dead?"

"Yeah…dad said her name was Nomex…an ice dragoness. He himself didn't know much about her, but he longs for him to see her. On the bright side, he tells us that our _other_ grand parents are alive and well." said Demila.

Josh smiled. She must have been referring to Jennifer and Max Windsor, Demex's _human_ foster parents.

"I wish I can meet them…" said Felix.

"Be careful what you wish for." said Josh.

"I can't remember anything." said Despair finally answering.

"Too bad…but I wonder who that dragon was…" said Demila.

"Dragon? What dragon?" Felix asked.

"That dragon encased in ice at that winter wonderland we ended up when we got sucked in at the Portal." said Demila.

"You saw a dragon, inside _ice_ and you never told us?" asked Josh looking at the two kids seriously. The two of them just smiled sheepishly at him.

"We forgot…" said Felix, remembering the dragon in the ice.

"Come on. We have to tell this to your father. Who knows, this might help with the entire Portal Fluxes problem." said Josh, rolling over.

"So we're heading to the Temple?" asked Despair.

"We are. We'll just have to tell your mother that we're going there." said Josh to the two kids who were now smiling again.

"Okay!" replied the two young ones.

0 0 0 0 0

"How about this one?" Delnok asked as he took a book out. It was a rugged old book as the spine was broken and the title was nearly faded. The contents however were still there.

"What are the contents?" asked Errol.

"Let's see…" he replied, reading the first few pages.

…_in order for one to know, he must check the panel that is located at the side. The Ancestors placed the necessary numbers that indicated where the Portal is headed. Here is a list of supposed places where the Ancestors had linked Portals:_

"I'm guessing this is it; this is what we've been looking for." said Spyro.

"Hmm…let me read It." said Demex.

He took the book from Delnok's hand and began to read over it as fast as he can.

"It says here," he began, not looking up from the book. "That all Portals, they're destinations to be exact, can be changed."

"How?" asked Errol.

"There's a panel at the side, the one you basically press to activate one, it shows you a series of codes. These codes correspond to a specific location. They're like coordinates. For example, 1.1 could make the Portal go to The Other World. In order for one to _change_ the coordinates…they'd have to…" he trailed as he looked for it at the book.

"They'd have to what?" asked Delnok, being on the edge of his paws.

"You'd need…a specific item to reconfigure one." answered Demex.

"What's this thing called, and where do we find it?" asked Spyro.

"It's called…an orb. There's no name to be exact. Let's just call it an orb. We need this green orb that can be found at Dante's Freezer." said Demex.

"Where exactly there?" asked Errol. "Dante's Freezer is big."

"It doesn't say. It just says that it's deep inside the Freezer." replied Demex, putting the book down.

"What are we waiting for then?" asked Spyro.

"I'll tell Malefor of what we found. You guys can go ahead." said Errol.

"Okay, let's go." said Delnok.

0 0 0 0 0

"You didn't have to come." groaned Felix.

"No. I am not letting you two out of my sight again. Do you know how much I was worried about you two when you disappeared?" asked Fira caringly.

"We know…" replied Demila.

Josh and Despair just looked at each other. The Temple was coming up now and not long the small group of dragons had touched down and was now walking inside the halls of the Temple. Apparently, when they had told Fira of them going to the Temple, she tagged along. As a parent for her kids; she trusted Josh and Despair well enough, but in the recent light of events…she wasn't too…relaxed.

"Fira! What are you guys doing here?" asked Malefor as they arrived at the Guardians' Office.

That was when they had told him of what the kids had apparently found. About the dragon being encased in ice and all of that; Malefor just put on a thinking face after the discussion.

"A dragon you say…do you know the element?" he asked.

"No…the ice was too thick. We couldn't see what his scales were." replied Felix.

"What is it Malefor?" asked Josh.

"I'm not sure how to approach this topic…but there _is_ a dragon out there encased in ice…and we need to get him or her out. That is…if he or she is still alive. But I have a feeling that dragon is _still _alive." said Malefor.

"And I'm feeling that your feelings always come out right." commented Despair. Malefor raised a brow.

"Who are you exactly?" he asked him.

"Despair; unknown origins; long story." replied Despair.

"Well then Despair, I need you and Josh to head over to Dante's Freezer, and check out the caverns there. We might find the dragon my grandchildren saw." he told the two of them. "I'm asking this as a favor. Normally I'd ask Spyro or any of my children, but they're on a mission at Dante's Freezer as well; an important one at that." said Malefor.

"Okay, we have nothing better to do anyway. Dante's Freezer is not far from here right?" asked Josh.

"Nope; you better get going then." said Malefor.

"Aww…I wanted to help the dragon as well." said Felix.

"No, Felix, you stay here along with your sister. You can help your grandfather with the things to do here at the Temple. You can help Fira as well." said Malefor.

"Okay then." replied Fira.

"Bye Despair! Bye Josh! Be careful!" said Demila, hugging the two of them.

Josh sighed. He hugged back. Even Despair hugged back. After that, the two of them marched off and headed to Dante's Freezer; determined to help that dragon encased in ice.

* * *

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	15. Chapter 15 Scupper

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: This story is really beginning to kick now! **

**Alec: I agree. The plot is now beginning to move.**

**Richer: Even though it's slow.**

**Maz: Yeah, it kinda is slow, but at least it's moving.**

**Racket: I have to agree with you there.**

**Zayril: Well, enough of this chit chat, time for the disclaimers!  
**

**Alec**** and Richer: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters. **

**Racket and Maz: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies. **

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it. **

* * *

Chapter 15

Scupper

"I never knew Dante's Freezer, was _this_ cold!" exclaimed Josh as he shivered slightly. He was an ice dragon, but Dante's Freezer was _just_ like a freezer. It was cold; cold as heck.

"I think we arrived just as a snow storm happened!" shouted Despair over the raging snow and ice that was flowing around them.

They could barely see a thing. They landed minutes earlier but as they did, visibility gone down instantly. A snow storm appeared out of nowhere. Now, they were stuck in the middle of some place, keeping track of each other by winding their tails around one another. Inappropriate, but it was the only way.

"I think I see a cave! Follow me! Don't loose the connection!" yelled Despair.

"Okay! Lead the way!" said Josh.

They needed to find shelter from this blistering storm. And they found it. They weren't passing this opportunity up. Using careful caution, they moved; one paw at a time. Every step was agonizing slow as the snow was deep in the ground and it was hard to move. Nevertheless, in a few moments, they found themselves panting and staying close to maintain warmth. It was dang cold.

"What do you say about waiting this one out?" asked Despair.

"Agreed." said Josh.

Josh sighed as he slumped back the ice wall. He shivered slightly as the cold wind ravaged outside, momentarily dropped the temperature. He was an ice dragon, but this was just too cold; even for him. He looked at Despair who didn't seem to be fairing much better than him. He looked pale and his face was flushed. He pressed his right shoulder near him to give him some warmth.

"Thanks…" said Despair.

"No problem." replied Josh.

As they waited, Josh's thoughts went to Demex and the others. How were they fairing against this raging blizzard. Delnok and Demex were ice dragons and Spyro had the element fire, so he guessed they were okay. Spyro can keep them warm. Josh turned his head and saw the blizzard didn't seem to be going down anytime soon.

He turned his head to the right and saw something odd. He was expecting a wall of rock in front of him, but since his eyes had now adjusted to the light, it seemed that the cave went on deeper.

"Hey Despair," he called. "Where do you think this cave leads?"

"I'm not sure. Are you thinking of exploring?" he asked.

"You read my mind. It's much better than staying still. Besides, staying still makes us colder. We have to keep moving. No use sitting around here." Josh was on point.

"You're right. Move out then." said Despair.

Then with a bit shuffling and grunting, the two of them were back on their feet and headed deep down the cave. Both sharp and dull icicles hung above the two of them, water dripping down the ceiling making puddles. If one were to strain his ear, he'd hear the faint howling of the wind, as well as water dripping down the ceiling. Josh looked at the walls and saw his reflection. It seemed that light were coming in by reflection from outside.

Silence hung in the air as they walked.

Then it was broken.

_Thud…Thud…Thud…Thud._

"You hear that?" asked Despair, looking around warily.

"I hear it…it sounds like…paws coming down. Someone or something is walking." replied Josh in a whisper.

The sounds of pawfalls were resonating against the ice walls and it seemed to come deeper into the cave. Judging from the frequency and interval, it seemed that they were…in a group. The thing wasn't alone.

"What should we do?" asked Josh, getting slight anxious.

He had every right to be anxious. Josh, up to this point, has not been able to utilize his element. He was basically, in essence, weak. He had no fighting experience whatsoever. He didn't have his element to protect him. He didn't know how to use it. His claws were useless, since he never used them before and didn't know how to attack properly. He only had his agility, wits and an average mind to use; of course, Despair was his ally. That was a bonus. But against a group, Despair would be busy. Josh was in for a crash course.

"It seems that the sound is coming from that corner right there. And whatever it is, it's coming closer. I say, we use the element of surprise to our advantage." he answered quickly, lowering his body as well to muffle the sound of his paws traveling over the ice.

"So we ambush them and hope for the best?" asked Josh, copying his actions and following him.

"Yup…do you know how to fight?" asked Despair, hugging the wall.

The sounds of the paws were getting louder. They were getting closer. They only had one shot and Josh vowed not to blow it. He had never thought of death ever since he came here. But now that he was faced with the looming prospect, it made him nervous. Nevertheless, he promised himself that he wasn't going to die here. He wasn't going to die. He'd do whatever it takes to be kept alive. He was too young to die.

"No…" he replied nervously, hugging the wall as well. Despair sighed out of frustration. He had a rookie for an ally. Nonetheless, he wasn't going to get his friend killed. Whatever it was they were up against, friend or foe, the only body count was of the hostiles.

"Well, prepare for a crash course. You're going to need it. I'm assuming you don't know how to use your element. Am I correct?" asked Despair looking at Josh. Josh nodded.

"In that case, use your tail, claws, maw and your brain. Scratch, bite and smack are your only options." said Despair. Josh nodded vigorously, adrenaline beginning to course through him.

Reaching the end of the cavernous hall, they reached the fork. The sounds of the pawfalls were louder and it seemed that they were getting nearer. Nearer and nearer they came, Josh's heartbeat. It was flight or fight mode and he chose fight.

"I think there are three of them. I trust you to watch my back and handle at least one of them. Got it?" requested Despair.

"Got it." replied Josh.

"On 3; 1…." counted down Despair, using the pawfalls to judge how close they were.

_Thud…Thud…Thud…Thud._

"2…" Josh bit his lip and flexed his claws. They were sharp, pointed and ready for the kill. He had never killed anything of major in his life. Now, it was his first time killing something out of preservation. It was a rush he had never felt before. It must have been the adrenaline coursing like crazy through him. He felt powerful; agile, strong and smart. And as he saw Despair's lips move, he inhaled.

"3…NOW!" shouted Despair.

It was like a flash. The two of them moved in sync. Despair had his teeth barred whilst Josh had his paw up and ready for the strike. Josh didn't get a good glimpse of their hostiles, only just enough to see that they were three of them, just like Despair predicted. And they were color coded. Two were colored blue, and one was colored purple. He collided with one of the blue ones whilst Despair handled the other two.

Josh raised his paw to strike the dragon he was on top of, but stopped immediately when he saw the face. The dragon had a scar that traveled, right to left, from his forehead, diagonally, downwards across his face, going over his right eye. He only knew one dragon that had this features. He knew him personally.

"Demex?" he asked, lowering his raised paw.

"Josh? Is that you?" asked the dragon. Josh got off Demex and turned to Despair who was wrestling with the two dragons.

"Hey! Break it up you three! Despair! They're not enemies." said Josh.

The tangled mass of bodies stopped moving and separated. Despair had some bruises on himself but nothing serious. As well as the two dragons that stood up.

"They're not?" asked Despair, and then he turned to the dragons who were brushing the dirt of themselves. "Spyro! Delnok!"

Spyro coughed. "Despair? Josh? What are you two doing here?"

"We could ask you the same thing!" said Josh.

"Well, we're here on an important mission involving the Portal Fluxes." answered Delnok.

"How about you two?" asked Demex.

"We're here because Felix said that there was a dragon encased in ice at a winter wonderland." answered Josh.

"So we thought it must be here at Dante's Freezer." said Despair.

"A dragon?" asked Spyro.

"Encased in ice?" asked Delnok.

"Here?" asked Demex.

"Yeah…we had the same reactions." said Despair with a smirk.

"We thought this cave might lead somewhere so we headed down it. And that's how we bumped into you guys. We thought you were hostiles so we decided to ambush." said Josh.

The three brothers nodded, finally realizing why they were attacked.

"We're also here for the same reason. We thought this cave might lead somewhere. And it _is _a shelter from the blistering blizzard outside." answered Spyro.

"Where do you guys think this cave might lead? It's pretty long and drafty for that matter." said Delnok, shivering slightly as a cold breeze swept.

"I don't know…but something tells me if we keep going we'll find out." said Josh. Despair smirked.

"Good point. Lead the way then." he said.

Spyro nodded and began to lead the way, followed by Delnok, Demex and the rest of the gang. Josh felt a bit safer now. There was safety in numbers. And right now, there were five of them, including him. But still…he felt weak that he still couldn't use his element. He was an ice dragon with no ice; just dragon; a weak dragon that had no experienced in fighting whatsoever. He was a basically a liability. How could he protect others when he can't protect himself? It was a question that gnawed in the back of his mind.

Josh's musings was stopped when he felt someone tapped him at the shoulder.

He looked up and saw Despair smiling at him.

"I know what you're thinking. I'll help you with your training." said Despair.

"You will?" asked Josh.

"Of course; what are friends for?" he asked rhetorically. "We can even ask the Guardians for some help and as well as Demex."

"Thanks Despair." replied Josh.

The five males headed down deeper into the cave, wondering what might lie in its depths.

* * *

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	16. Chapter 16 Luck

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Hey guys!**

**Alec: Update?**

**Richer: Yup, he's going to update again.**

**Racket: That's great!**

**Maz: New content! Time to do the disclaimers!  
**

**Alec**** and Richer: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters. **

**Racket and Maz: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies. **

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it. **

* * *

Chapter 16

Luck

"Hmm…" said Malefor thoughtfully.

"What is it?" asked Volteer.

The two guardians were inside the Guardians' office. Malefor was sitting at his chair thoughtfully whilst Volteer was looking up from his book.

"That Despair dragon earlier…I know he is the black scaled dragon that was found at Axakus…and I know he is good, he was tested by daughter-in-law…but something about him…" said Malefor.

"You don't trust him? I saw a glimpse of him earlier when they were walking down the hall. He seems…okay." said Volteer.

"It's not that…there's just something about him…that bothers me a bit." answered Malefor.

"Is it in a good way, or a bad way?" asked Volteer seriously. Malefor closed his eyes and thought for a moment.

"I'm not sure. We'll just see I guess." replied Malefor. "I have to go; I have to check on my grand kids." Volteer smirked.

"Have fun." he said.

0 0 0 0 0

"Be careful you two." said Fira as she watched from afar. Felix and Demila were playing around the dummies at the training room. Rows upon rows of them were lined at the corner. The enchanted straw made items were standing freely there, dead and inanimate as they can be. Demila was looking curiously at one of the dummies whilst Felix was examining one of them with his claws.

How such objects were enchanted with magic had always baffled him.

He moved over to another dummy when all of a sudden.

"AH!" screamed a voice. His head snapped so fast, it seemed in-dragon-ly possible.

He saw the scene before him. Demila was the one who screamed as she ran from a dummy that seemed to be chasing her. Normally, this scene wouldn't bother anyone who came upon the training room, as this was called the Training Room. But, in this case, they weren't training, and the dummy wasn't summoned. It was moving on its own accord.

Something had gone bad with the magic. They had a rogue dummy on their hands.

One rogue dummy, which was intent on hurting Demila; Something within Felix stirred and he suddenly felt powerful all of a sudden. A fire somehow erupted within him that wanted to be let out to help her troubled sister.

Fira on the other hand watched in horror as she saw her child being chased by the rogue dummy. Her motherly instincts kicked in and she wanted badly to run to her and protect her from the rogue dummy. But apparently, she was overtaken. Felix, from the corner of the room, dashed into the middle of the scene and blocked the dummy.

The dummy tried ramming him out of the way but Felix just rammed him back forcefully with his shoulder. That must've hurt. But if it did, Felix wasn't showing any pain whatsoever. Behind him, his sister took cover behind her. Then, what surprised Fira the most was that his son reared up; set his forepaws down the ground and opened his maw. Instead of a roar, a fiery, blazing red hot inferno erupted, scorching his target in front him which was reduced to ashes.

Felix stood there, panting, and beads of sweat dripping down his scales as the adrenaline coursed through him. He just spurted out fire. He didn't know how, but he just did. He never thought he could. He knew dragons obtain the ability to use their element around when they reach the age twelve. But he just did his, way ahead of his time. He's only eleven. Nevertheless, he marveled at the sight of the rogue dummy. It was reduced to nothing but ashes. Her sister, which was behind him, came out of hiding, and checked on him.

"Are you okay brother?" asked her younger sister.

"I'm fine…a bit tired though." answered Felix.

And as if on cue, Fira finally snapped out of her trance, and ran to her children. Following close behind her were the Guardians, entering the room with worried expressions on all of their faces.

"Felix! Demila! Are you two okay?" asked Fira, checking on both of them.

"We're fine mom." replied Felix and Demila, hugging their mother tightly.

"What on earth happened?" asked Terrador.

"We heard some screaming. Screaming that sounded like someone was being attacked." said Volteer.

"What happened here?" asked Cyril, looking at the kids, and the smoldering ashes of the once rogue dummy.

Before any of them could answer, this time Malefor was the one who came out, looking worried as well.

"What happened! I heard Demila screaming!" he said rushing over to them.

"That…dummy over there suddenly started moving and attacking us!" she replied, feeling a bit shaken from the event.

"That dummy over there? The smoldering ashes?" asked Malefor as he saw where she pointed.

"Yeah! Felix here was the one who saved me! He used his element!" replied Demila, hugging his brother.

"He did!" asked all of the Guardians. Felix scratched his head in a sheepish manner, he didn't like being in the limelight _that _much.

"I…did." he said.

"And that was mighty brave of you." said Fira.

"How could you have used your element? You're way too young!" said Volteer.

"I know…" replied Terrador.

As the Guardians pondered on the mystery of how Felix succeeded on using his element, Malefor stepped aside and examined the smoldering ashes of the rogue dummy. He shifted some of the ashes, which was still smoking, and noticed something. His eyebrows rose and his eyes widened.

"This is bad." he said darkly.

The chatter behind him, the Guardians that is, stopped and everyone turned to look at him with scared looks. Fira approached him.

"Is what bad?" she asked seriously.

"This…this event marks the beginning of how the Portal Fluxes are worsening." he said.

"Marks the event? You mean this is related to the Portal Fluxes?" asked Volteer. Malefor nodded solemnly.

"What? How?" asked Terrador.

"The Portal magic is beginning to go erratic, and is starting to affect the things around it. This rogue dummy was apparently…we could say…_infected_ with the portal magic, thus making it go rogue. Portal magic is best not trifled with as for the only knowledge we have of it are the knowledge of us purple dragons and the ancient books in the library. This is one of the reasons why experimenting with Portal magic has been labeled as dangerous, and some forbidden for all the obvious reasons." explained Malefor.

"You mean…this could happen again?" asked Cyril. Malefor sighed.

"I'm afraid that may be the case." he replied.

"But isn't daddy doing something about it? Isn't that the reason why you had Errol call him earlier today?" asked Felix.

This time, all heads turned to Felix.

"And how do you know that?" asked Terrador curiously.

"I…uh...well…thought…that…must be the reason…because…I've been hearing so much about these…Portal foxes—"

"Fluxes." corrected her sister, to her brother's embarrassment.

"—right, Fluxes, and how bad they are…and well…seeing as you're my grandfather…a guardian for that, would've asked my dad and my uncles to go on an errand as a method on how to deal with this situation; because well…my dad and two uncles are known for dealing with these kinds of things." finished Felix nervously as he wasn't liking how everyone was staring at him.

Everyone stared; surprised at how Felix _correctly_ deducted what his dad was doing. Fira never really told her children what his dad was called for, earlier today, for the main reason that she didn't want them, being filled with worry. It was basically a 'not needed to be known' reason.

But apparently, even if she didn't tell her kids, they already had a vague idea.

"You are…correct. You're father _is_ doing something about it, along with Spyro and Delnok, you're two uncles." said Volteer, surprised at the amount of deduction that was portrayed by a child.

Malefor stared at Felix with a newfound interest. It would seem that some traits were passed down the family. He mentally sighed as he remembered how _she_ was like that; an observant dragon that could have passed as a detective for her amount of deduction skills.

As Malefor was lost in his memories, Demila looked at his brother with a slight sense of envy.

"Hey Felix, can you teach me how you did that? How you used your element. I want to do it too!" she said to him.

"Well…you just—"he was cut off as Cyril spoke.

"You just use the power that is within you. All of us have it, and all you need to do is tap into it. Harness it, and let it all out in one long exhalation of breath." he explained, speaking as if it were memorized by heart. Of course, he _was_ a teacher, and ice _was_ his element. So it was only right, that he was the one teaching Demila how to do it.

Felix, Volteer, Fira and Terrador stepped aside as they watched Cyril tutor Demila.

"Do you think she'll be able to do it?" asked Volteer as he watched from the corner of his eye, a smile on his face, as Felix blew a bit fire from his nostrils and was giggling like a child.

"I'm not to sure. If she's like Felix, then she'd be able to do it. But the question is how powerful it is." replied Fira.

"I completely agree." said Terrador. By this time, Malefor was finished reminiscing and he wiped a small tear from his face, as he stood next to his grandson and placed a paw on his shoulder.

"When do you think I'll be able to do a fury?" asked Felix with noticeable excitement.

"In due time Felix. But do not worry, I'll help you on how to use your element." replied Malefor in a wise sounding manner.

"And mom's going to help you as well." replied Fira, hugging her son. "That was very brave of you. Saving your sister like that. You're like your father." she whispered to his ear.

As she let go, Felix felt his chest swell with pride and he smiled at her mother.

"Okay, now that you have accessed it, try letting it out." said Cyril. Demila nodded and tried using her element. Everyone watched with anticipation as they anticipated how Demila might come out with her element. She inhaled one deep breath, opened her maw and let out her best breath she could muster.

Everyone was placed in a state of awe.

What came out was a series of small ice icicles, about the size of your palm to your elbow that stabbed into a tree. Counting them, there were about five of them. It was official, Demila could use her element, though, her icicles are still small (unlike with other adult dragons, they are as long as your arm) due to, obviously, her being young.

"That was great!" exclaimed Cyril, feeling great as he had just taught another student.

"That was great Demila!" cheered Fira as she walked over to Malefor. As the Guardians and Felix congratulated Demila for her new found success, Fira walked over to Malefor.

"Mal, when do you think Demex will be able to come back?" she asked.

Malefor thought for a bit before answering.

0 0 0 0 0

The four males had been walking down the dank, cold and wet cave for some time now, and they could see a large opening at the end.

"I wonder what's over there." said Spyro.

"With our luck, it could be something bad or good." said Delnok. Josh chuckled.

"Luck…" he muttered.

"Let's find out then." said Demex.

"Ditto." said Despair and Josh.

They exited the long ice hallway and entered the opening. They came out into a spacious cavernous cavern, filled with natural made ice sculptures. But what were in front of them surprised them all.

"What." said Spyro.

"In." said Delnok.

"The." said Demex.

"World?" said Despair.

"_Dang!_ That is _bootleg_!" exclaimed Josh.

* * *

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	17. Chapter 17 Enterende

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Hey guys! It's been a _long_ time since the last update.**

**Richer: What's been going on?**

**Alec: Zayril's been busy. School, his life, his interests, you know, the basics.**

**Zayril: Way to sum it up Alec.**

**Alec: Thank you.**

**Zayril: Anyways, for fans of this story, do not be afraid, this is story is not on hiatus or abandoned. This story is alive and kicking. To be honest, in the over all plot, were like...I guess...2/5s of it? Yeah, I planned this story as _thoroughly _as I can, and it's coming out good. Being laying plot devices here and there, playing with words and what not. I've just been busy so updates were rather slow. But, I can really tell you, my life's really hectic right now. Maybe next week it wouldn't be so hectic. Let's just hope for it.**

**Alec: Hectic? Are you sure that's the right word?**

**Zayril: I guess so.**

**Despair: And to think, my backst- **

**Zayril: STOP! No spoiling.**

**Despair: Sorry...**

**Richer: Well, enough chat, time for the disclaimers!**

**Zayril: I couldn't agree more.  
**

**Alec****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters. **

**Richer and Despair: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies. **

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it. **

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair.  
**

* * *

Chapter 17

Enterende

"What." said Spyro.

"In." said Delnok.

"The." said Demex.

"World?" said Despair.

"_Dang!_ That is _bootleg_!" exclaimed Josh.

The four of them found themselves staring; staring at an ice wall that stood high above them, a few feet away. It was blue, shiny and no doubt cold. And what made them stare was the obvious mass that was within the ice. Something was _in_ the ice. And they had no doubt found the dragon that Josh and Despair were looking for.

"And here I was thinking that Felix might have just hallucinated that…" said Josh.

"Ditto…major ditto Josh, to me." said Despair.

"How is this even possible?" asked Demex as the five of them warily approach the dragon that was encased in ice.

"I don't know…I know Spyro did it before, Dad told me; how did you do it?" asked Delnok.

"I honestly…don't know. I just…wanted me and Cynder to be safe…" replied Spyro.

"That doesn't help us." said Josh. He looked at the ice wall. "…much."

"I agree…" replied Despair. "At least half of why we're here is solved."

"Find dragon in ice, check; find orbs needed to fix fluxes is still on hold." said Demex.

"Is this dragon even alive?" asked Spyro as he tapped the ice wall with his claw.

The ice seemed thick. Layers upon layers of frozen water stood between them and the dragon that was within. It was so thick, that seeing a clear image of the dragon was obscured. But it was clear that it was an adult. The size confirmed that. How were they going to get this dragon out? Even with the aid of Spyro's Fire element, it would still take long. Nevertheless, that was the only option they had, so they chose it.

"Spyro, start thawing." said Delnok.

"Agreed; why don't you guys look around if the Orbs were looking for can be found here as well." said Spyro as he stood in front of the ice wall and prepared his fire breath.

"Roger that." said Demex.

"I'll look over here." said Despair as he headed to one corner.

"Over here for me." said Demex.

"I'll look over there." said Josh as he went to a corner across the ice wall.

Behind him, he could see the flicker of orange color explode as Spyro began thawing the ice wall with his fire breath. Josh suddenly felt the change in temperature as the flame licked the ice and began to melt under the intense heat. Light danced all over the area and illuminated the icy crystals that hung from below and above.

One of which, shimmered…Josh looked up. Something shimmered from the corner of his eye. Normally, he'd disregard this as they were surrounded by numerous ice crystals that can no doubt reflect back. But the way it shimmered…it had a greenish tinge to it mixed with a slight gold mix.

"Hey guys! I think I see something over here." he said out loud before walking over to the spot where he saw something glimmer.

"Got it." said Demex, as he and Delnok passed by Spyro who was still thawing the thick wall of ice.

"What is it Josh?" asked Despair.

"I think I saw something shine over there; and I think it isn't Ice." replied Josh, pointing to the corner.

"Hmm…let's see shall we." said Demex.

"I'll check on Spyro and see if I can try and hasten the thawing process." said Delnok, and then he turned around and headed towards Spyro.

Demex, Despair and Josh headed towards the corner, in that order as well. Demex was leading up front, Despair was at the middle, and Josh was at the back for obvious reasons. He couldn't fight well enough, but if needed, he'll have to give it everything he's got, so being a front liner isn't a good idea for him.

The three slowly approached the corner, and Demex raised a brow as he saw something. It was an object. A spherical object that sat at the corner; it had what seem like a gold band that was wrapped around a somewhat perfectly shaped round gem. But what caught his attention was the band. It was somewhat…transparent?

"What in the world….?" asked Despair as he stared at the object. Then he suddenly felt a stab of pain come across his head as his eyes gazed on the alien item. It made his pain receptors tingle as it sent his mind into frenzy. Something in him stirred as the image of the orb burned in his mind. The orb was….somewhat….familiar. Then before Despair knew it, his mind flashed him a series of images that seem to have come from nowhere.

The images that he saw were blurry, hazy, like you were looking into a television screen that had bad reception. Nevertheless…he could make out at least enough to know what was going on. The first image was an image of…a dragon…dragons? He couldn't be sure as the image was lacking in detail. It wasn't enough to confirm it. The next image that flashed was an image…of something tall. The next image...was nothing… but white. The image he saw was white; nothing but white color. He couldn't make anything else out.

Then, as the array of images flashed in Despair's mind, the excruciating pain slowly ebbed away, but it still made him stagger, having him fall down the floor on all fours. He was panting and sweating. Whatever happened to him, it took a toll on his body.

"Despair!" gasped Josh, as he saw his friend falter. "You okay?" asked

Josh ran to his aid whilst Demex approached the alien object now with even more caution. For all he knew, the orb might have done that to Despair. He had to be careful. As Demex approached the orb and eventually managed to grab it warily, he began examining it. Josh on the other hand was checking in on Despair.

"What happened? You look like you'll pass out." said Josh concernedly. Of course, he was worried for his friend.

"I don't know what happened Josh." said Despair, putting his paw on his forehead and sighing deeply. "But what I do know…is that, when I looked at that orb…_something _happened. I saw images…"

Josh raised a brow. "Images you say?" Despair nodded.

"Yeah…images…I'll tell you guys about it later. We have to focus at the task at hand." said Despair, shaking it all off and standing up.

"Okay…" said Josh, mentally noting to ask him about it again.

Josh then headed over to Demex who was now heading back to them as well. In his paws was the orb looking like object that caused Despair's earlier…mind frenzy. This time though, Despair stared at it and had no response from his body like before, but this time…looking at it, it felt familiar to him; somewhat familiar…but at the same time, unfamiliar. He couldn't tell which was stronger. And it would seem…Josh was having the same problem. It felt familiar…but at the same time, unfamiliar.

"I think this is the orb were supposed to be looking for." said Demex, as he rolled it around his paw. Josh stared at it curiously.

"I think so too…" he said, as his mind pondered on the familiarity of the object.

"Let's head back then." said Despair. "Spyro should be done thawing the object by now…right?" he asked rhetorically, half smirked.

"You hold it Josh. I feel that I might break it if I keep holding on to It." said Demex, giving the green orb to Josh who reluctantly held out his paws.

"Okay…" he said, as he held onto the orb as it was the thing keeping him alive. It was a very important orb. It was the key to solving the entire Portal Fluxes problems. He didn't want to be the one to lose the key or even worse, break it. So in essence, at that moment, he chose to guard it with his life. "…if you say so."

Demex patted at the shoulder. "Don't worry. I know I can trust you with that."

0 0 0 0 0

"This is just stupid…" said Delnok out of frustration as he stared at the ice wall that was in front of them.

"I'm…getting…exhausted." said Spyro, as he panted, and breathed heavily.

"Take a break then bro." advised Delnok.  
"Will—" Spyro dropped to the ground, on all fours, completely letting his limbs go limp "—do."

As Delnok sat there beside a tired Spyro, he looked up when he heard footsteps approaching him. He turned around and saw Demex, Despair and Josh.

"Hey guys! Back already?" asked Delnok. Demex nodded.

"Yup, and look what we have." he said, turning to look at Josh. Spyro sat up straight and looked at Josh. There, he saw in his paws was the orb.

"Is that the orb we're looking for?" he asked, as Josh gave it to him to let him examine it.

"Yup." replied Despair.

"What happened? I thought you should be done by now." said Demex, looking at Spyro and back at the ice wall which seem to have melted but was still there.

"Well, I managed to melt some of the ice, but it would seem that my fire can't seem to melt a _section_ of the ice. Like, the ice seems to be powered by magic, making it, un-melt-able." said Spyro, sighing, as he rolled the orb in his paws.

"Hmm…enchanted ice…" said Demex as he pondered on what they should do next.

As the main group contemplated on the concept of the ice being…enchanted, Josh stepped aside and headed over to the ice wall. He wanted to check the ice himself. Standing close to it, he could feel the cold frosty feeling you'd get when you're near something cold. He placed his paw on it and felt the ice for himself. It was jagged but had noticeable smooth areas. And he swore, he could feel it colder at some areas and some aren't.

He retracted his paws from the ice wall, and then tapped it with his claws.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

But what soon followed, nearly scared him to death; _literally_.

As he tapped the ice wall, he could feel…something come alive. And before he knew it, one of the mass shifted in the ice and it opened, revealing an eye, staring at him…at least he thought it was staring at him. Josh doubled back and slipped. His buttocks connected on the floor just as the ice began to shake. Silence befell his friends behind him who felt the ice shake as well. Cracks began to form at the side, making noticeable web-like patterns which slowly diverged to make one giant crack.

"Oh sna—"

Despair was cut off as the ice exploded before them. Pieces of ice flew everywhere, both small and large, miraculously missing them by inches; though a few small ones did give them cuts. Josh covered his face as it exploded, sending a white ball of mist to fall on the area. And then…he heard a piercing roar that echoed throughout the cave that nearly made him think he was going to go deaf. It rang in his ears and racked his eardrum. He closed his eyes and tried his best to shield his ears from the howling roar.

Of all the rush of things, one would think it wouldn't end so easily. But that would prove them wrong.

Just as fast as it began, it went away even faster.

The roaring stopped, and was quickly followed by a loud rumbling and shaking. It took a moment for Josh to regain his composure. But when he did, he sucked in a large amount of air as he felt like he could breathe again. That experience truly shook him. Once feeling secure, he joined his friends, whom were equally shaken by the experience, and crowded around the dragon.

The dragon was an ice dragon to say the least. His scales were faded azure and his underbelly had a tinge of cobalt. From the size, it was quite obvious that this dragon was an adult _older_ than them. When Josh stared at the dragon, he felt a sense of déjà vu. But…how would've that been déjà vu? He had never seen this dragon before.

"What in the world just happened?" asked Josh.

"Well…I guess," began Demex as he scratched his head. "This dragon…_conveniently_ 'woke up' when you tapped the ice. From my deduction, the ice remained to not melt because; I think this dragon was keeping it from it. I don't know why though." he deducted. Despair sighed.

"Well I do know one thing." he said.

"What?" asked Spyro.

"Mission accomplished." he said.

"Oh yeah; we got the dragon out of the ice, and got the orbs." said Delnok, noticeably happy, as he realized that fact.

"Okay…but how do we get back? We can't carry this dragon? I think its wounded anyway." said Josh checking over the dragon.

"Easy, we teleport." answered Spyro in a matter of fact tone.

"You can teleport?" asked Despair and Josh in sync.

"We'll explain it along the way." said Delnok.

"Gather around. Josh, keep a good hold on that orb." said Demex.

"Yes sir." said Josh as they crowded around the dragon.

"Ready?" asked Spyro. Everyone nodded and he began to count down."3…2…"

…_1…_

There was a bright flash. Once it subsided, the five dragons, along with one unconscious adult, were no longer there, instead, there were just a smoking, melted ice floor, and the dragons completely gone.

* * *

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	18. Chapter 18 Arrival

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Hey guys! Sorry for the long update. Been busy.**

**Alec: Been really busy. If only you knew what he was doing. **

**Richer: Look at THESE! Wow!**

**Zayril: Don't touch those! There not done yet.**

**Richer: Sorry.**

**Zayril: I would like to use this moment, to address the flaw I made on chapter 17. The flaw about Josh being suprised to the whole teleport thing. Sorry...I forgot. I am doing a lot of things right now, so I seem to forget the little details I put in my stories. But...on the other hand, I would like to THANK my readers (or reader since Alec the Dark Angel found it) for reading TBD thoroughly. Thanks for finding that flaw.**

**Alec: Your welcome.**

**Richer: I think we should do the disclaimers now.**

**Zayril: Okay.  
**

**Alec****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters. **

**Richer and Despair: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies. **

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it. **

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair.**

* * *

Chapter 18

Arrival

Fira was walking down the halls of the Temple anxiously. It was nighttime now and the moon was casting its moonlight glow down the Temple which illuminated the courtyard and everything else. There was no wind as the trees outside didn't sway and the outside world seemed quiet and at rest. The forest had an audible sound of an owl hooting and an occasional rustle here and there.

Fira slightly felt more anxious as she looked outside. It was getting late now at night and Demex and the others weren't back yet. Malefor had told her that his estimation would be around night. Maybe he was wrong. But Malefor's guesses were mostly correct so…

Fira jumped slightly when she felt a paw on her shoulder. She turned around and saw her father, Spirit, standing before her.

"Dad!" she exclaimed before pulling Spirit into a hug. Spirit chuckled and hugged her back.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, after letting go.

"I came here to check on Delnok. I was a bit worried that he hasn't come home yet. Amy was getting fidgety so I had to go and check if everything was alright. And…as well as for Despair." he replied.

"Delnok went away with his two brothers on a mission regarding the Portal Fluxes. They should be heading back by now. Why are you worried about Despair?" asked Fira curiously.

"I don't know….just concerned for him. He is an adult, I know, but I'm a bit worried about him. Being amnesiac, and having no place to stay." answered Spirit.

"He's currently staying at our place." added Fira.

"That's good to hear." said Spirit. "But you still have to wonder, are other dragons possibly looking for him?"

"None so far have come up. I feel worried for his relatives." said Fira.

"I'll try and talk to him, help him remember in my free time. I'm not doing anything anyway." Fira raised a brow.

"How about you're guarding duties at Axakus?" Spirit chuckled.

"Delnok can handle it. And besides, we're not doing anything much. It's pretty _quiet_."

Then his facial expression changed to curiosity with concern mixed in.

"You said that Delnok went away with Spyro and Demex…and you're here…then who's watching my grandchildren?"

Fira chuckled. "They're here at the Temple as well. If you want to go check on them, they're sleeping; at my old room." Spirit smiled.

"I might later." said Spirit.

"They'll surely be surprise to see their grandfather." said Fira with a smile.

"I'll be sure to surprise them then." said Spirit.

Then that's when they heard a loud _whooshing_ sound that came from the Training Room.

Spirit looked at Fira and saw that she seemed rather relieved. Who wouldn't be when your mate is back?

0 0 0 0 0

As the father and daughter chatted inside the Temple, outside Malefor was walking the grounds, pondering and contemplating about the thing about Despair. He wasn't still to sure of what struck him about him. But there was something there. He could feel it…or sense it for this matter.

He sighed as he thought very hard. This thing…that he felt…when he was near him…It was like…a waning power…something going off…it wasn't an elemental power though…it was something else…something else entirely.

He shook his head as he felt that he was nearing the conclusion. He could feel it that it was on the tip of his tongue. He only needed a few more details to piece everything together and find out what it is about Despair that has gotten his attention. But before he could think any further…a loud audible _whooshing_ sound came from within the Temple. He turned around as fast as he can and pinpointed where it had come from. It came from the section of the Temple where the Training Room was.

He knew exactly what the sound was.

That was the sound of a Portal opening.

Demex and the others had just arrived.

0 0 0 0 0

Cyril, Volteer and Terrador were at the training room, checking on the dummies. They didn't want another accident on their paws, like what had happened earlier the day with the case of Demila and Felix. They checked the dummies thoroughly, making sure they had no sign of Portal Magic on them, which could quite possibly make them go rogue.

"Anything?" asked Volteer.

"Nothing yet." replied Cyril.

"Same here." said Terrador.

"That's rather good. That would mean that the one earlier today was just a lucky break." said Volteer, as he sat down, resting his tired paws.

"Let's hope so." said Terrador in his usual baritone voice.

"I agree." said Cyril.

As the Guardians continued on their checking of the dummies they failed to notice the presence of wind becoming imminent inside the training room. Before they knew it, a sudden rush of wind came up behind the three of them, catching all of them off guard. Like naturally wind, it was gone before it registered in their minds. What registered though was the sound of bodies crashing down the floor. The floor rumbled under the immense crash of weight.

Once everything died down, the Guardians got their bearings. They had to take cover from the strong gale winds that suddenly appeared. Cyril poked his head out and his eyes widened as he saw what was before him. It wasn't the fact that Demex, Despair, Delnok and Josh appeared with a green orb surprised him. No, definitely no.

What surprised him was the other dragon.

An adult dragon was with them; lying unconscious on the floor.

What in the world was going on?

Josh got up and looked around, feeling a bit dizzy. He felt like he was going to throw up. He saw Despair looking greener rather than black.

"Don't worry…it'll pass." said Demex.

"You guys get that each and every time you teleport?" asked Despair, trying his best not to puke.

"Yup; purple dragons are immune to it. As for Demex and Delnok, they just got used to it." said Spyro.

"Lucky them…" said Josh, feeling a bit of vomit rise within himself.

That was when he saw a dragon, Cyril, pop his head out of the corner.

"Spyro! You guys made it!" he exclaimed as he ran towards them.

"Yup we did." said Spyro, approaching him. This time, the other guardians had finally come out of their hiding and approached them as well. All of them stared at the dragon that lay unconscious before them.

"Who's this?" asked Volteer.

"We don't know." answered Demex.

"What?" asked Terrador, and then he immediately understood why. "Ah! This is the dragon? The dragon encased in ice? Malefor told us earlier." said Terrador.

"Yeah…that's him." said Despair.

"Her." corrected Cyril.

This took them all by surprise.

"_Eh!_" asked Josh with a face to accompany it. "That's a girl? You're kidding me right?" he asked rhetorically. "How can that possible be a girl? It being a girl would just be bootleg."

"Well, apparently it is." said Delnok.

"I guess we didn't have enough time to check the plumbing." said Josh, with a half smile.

"A female dragoness encased in ice…" Demex thought out loud.

"What could it possibly mean?" asked Despair.

Just then and there, the doors opened and in came in was Spirit and Fira.

"Demex!" she exclaimed as she saw his mate. Demex ran over to her and the two hugged. Despair smiled and shook his head as he saw Josh roll his eyes.

"Mushy stuff never really appealed to me." he explained to his friend in a whisper.

"Ditto; but a little affection is welcome every now and then." said Despair.

"Ditto to that." replied Josh.

"You two should get hooked up with someone to know what it feels like." whispered Delnok, making the two look at him incredulously.

As the couple got reunited again, Spirit went over to the dragoness that was unconscious and examined her.

"We should get her to the infirmary." he said.

"Help us carry her then." said Cyril.

"On three then." said Terrador.

"I'll inform Malefor about this." said Volteer and headed outside.

The three adult males then grunted as they lifted the unconscious dragoness and headed to the infirmary. Demex watched them as they headed off, and then turned to Fira who had a curious expression.

"Is that the orb you were looking for?" asked Fira. Josh took it out and gave it to her. She then began examining it curiously.

"Yup." replied Demex. Fira then handed it over to Spyro

"I'll give this to dad." he said before heading off.

"Where are the kids?" asked Demex.

"Sleeping in my room; couldn't stay up long enough to see you arrived. Tried to though." answered Fira. This made Demex smile.

"Let's get some rest then." said Fira, resting her head on Demex's shoulders.

"You two can sleep at my old room." said Demex, before heading off with her mate.

Now, only Delnok and Josh were the only ones who stood at the Training Room.

"I'm beat." said Delnok as he yawned loudly.

"Me too." said Josh. "Do you know where Demex's room is?"

"I know the way. Follow me." said Delnok. They headed out off the Training Room and began heading to Demex's old room.

"I have a question." blurted out Josh as they walked.

"What is it?" asked Delnok.

"Why did Demex suggest we sleep in his room, when we can just sleep in _your_ room for the time being?"

"Well…." he trailed as he chuckled.

"Well…what?" asked Josh getting curious.

"Our 'rooms' here in the Temple, mine, Spyro's, Demex's and Fira's, are now used as student dorm rooms for the students here at the Temple. Apparently, my room is now currently being used so we can't technically sleep in it."

"I see…" replied Josh.

0 0 0 0 0

"Malefor!" said Volteer as he saw the Fire Guardian heading towards them.

"What is it Volteer?" asked Malefor. "Are the others back?"

"Yes they are. And they have rescued the dragoness!" he exclaimed.

"A dragoness encased in ice…" he whispered to himself.

* * *

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	19. Chapter 19 Verves Reunited

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: WOOT! 96 reviews (as of 10/25/10)! AWESOME!**

**Alec: Yeah, I know! If this keeps up, you'd be breaking 100 again!**

**Richer: That would mean...this would be his 3rd story having broken the 100 review limit.**

**Despair: Yup. Another one to boot.**

**Zayril: I hope more people review with meaningful reviews.**

**Despair: There, there. **

**Spirit: I think it's time for the reviews.**

**Alec: I agree.  
**

**Alec**** and Spirit: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters. **

**Richer and Despair: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies. **

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it. **

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair.**

* * *

Chapter 19

Verves Reunited

The next day, Josh woke up to the sound of sneezing. He turned his head, joints cracking, and saw Despair wipe his nose. Despair had developed a cold overnight. Their trip over at Dante's Freezer took a toll on him. Why wouldn't it? He _wasn't_ an ice dragon like him, so it was inevitable for him to get a cold._ How do you cure a cold if you're a dragon? How long does it last?_ Questions like these buzzed in his head as he watched Despair curiously. This caught his attention and Despair looked at him curiously.

"What?" he asked, his voice changing slightly due to his cold.

"Nothing." replied Josh. He turned his head as he heard some cracks. Delnok was stretching at the corner of the room.

"Good way to start the day boys." said Delnok. Then a question popped in his head.

"Hey…aren't you a bit, you know, worried about Amy and your child? You didn't go home. I expected you to rush there the second you woke up." asked Josh.

He always viewed the three brothers as responsible brothers. Of course, they had to be. If Spyro wasn't responsible…let's just say, bad things would have happened. Same for Demex; Delnok wasn't an exception. But why was he still here then?

"It's okay. They're used to it. Though…it pains me to make them worry." said Delnok.

"Used to it?" asked Josh.

"Josh, I work as one of the guards at our village. In rare cases, since the village is mostly peaceful, we get sent to places that have some disturbances. Sometimes it takes days to get there and get the job done. My family is used to worrying, but I try not to make them worry all the time at best." said Delnok.

"I see." replied Josh. He was responsible then.

"How are you feeling Despair?" asked Josh as he approached him.

"Sick…I hate getting colds." he said as he sniffled. Josh nodded. He too didn't like it; lucky for him to be an ice dragon.

"I got a question for you." said Josh.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Would it be alright if I asked Malefor about what you saw yesterday?"

He was referring to what had happened yesterday. Apparently when Despair looked at the orb they had found, one of which what they seek as well, he had suddenly gotten a flash of images in his head that gave him a headache.

"Okay…" replied Despair after thinking about it.

"Ask dad what?" asked Delnok as he approached them.

"We'll explain later." said Josh. "Let's get breakfast. I am hungry."

"Agreed then." said Delnok.

0 0 0 0 0

Demex groaned as he woke up. He sensed Fira's warmth and her rhythmic heartbeat closed to him. They had slept like they usually did; snuggled to one another, his wing, enclosing her in a loving embrace. He could even hear her purr as she was still asleep. He opened his eyes and was greeted by the morning sun.

He sat up and slowly stretched as to not wake Fira up. Snoring was audible as Felix and Demila were still sleeping at their makeshift bed at the side of the room. He walked over to them and nuzzled them in their sleep. Demila squirmed a bit and open her eyes. Demex licked her cheek and did the same to Felix who was also waking up now.

"Good morning Dad…" groaned Felix, his voice sounding throaty.

"Wake up now, its morning." said Demex to them.

"I want to sleep some more…" pleaded Demila, resting her head on his front right paw.

"It's morning now. Try not to be lazy." said Demex, trying to coax them to avoid being lazy. Demila purred as his father's maw touched hers and she opened her eyes. At the bed, Fira shifted and sat up, stretching herself in the process.

"Demex…?" she called out, looking around for her mate.

"Right here." he replied, going over to her. Fira yawned as she looked at her children as well as her husband. Then, Felix's stomach rumbled.

"I guess you guys want to eat breakfast?" asked Demex.

"Yes please." answered the two sleepily.

"Let's go then." said Fira.

0 0 0 0 0

"What happened to you?" asked Josh as he looked at Spyro. He looked sick. His face bore the expression of being tired as well as the way he moved which was lethargically. Cynder was beside him, whilst Serenity was on his other side, the two of them supporting him. Cynder and Serenity decided to come to the Temple today to check in on Spyro since he didn't come home last night.

"Daddy got sick." answered Serenity. Cynder nodded with a smirk.

"He may be the legendary purple dragon, but he's not immune to sickness. Your little trip to Dante's Freezer got him this." said Cynder as she helped Spyro get seated next to an empty seat beside Delnok.

"Really?" began Josh surprised. "Despair got it as well. Why didn't we get it?" he asked.

"You're an ice dragon Josh." replied Spyro with a nasally voice.

"Oh…right…" he replied, remembering that fact.

"Where's Demex?" asked Despair after snuffling.

"He should be up and here in a few." replied Delnok.

Then as if on cue, the door opened. Everyone turned their heads and was expecting Demex, when they saw Spirit, with Amy, Krystal and Damien.

"Are you guys having a reunion or something?" asked Josh to Delnok who just shrugged with a smirk.

"Krystal! Amy! Damien! Spirit! What are you guys doing here?" asked Delnok as he greeted his in-laws, wife and son. Damien ran over to his father and hugged him tightly. Amy on the other hand kissed him on the cheek, whilst Krystal and Spirit smiled at him warmly. After hugging his father Damien went over to Serenity.

"I tried telling them you were alright. But Amy was worried about you, so she decided to come here. And I tagged along as well since your father-in-law was here and Damien wanted to come badly as well since he missed you so much." said Krystal.

"You were worried about me?" asked Delnok.

"We were." chirped Damien from the corner.

Josh turned his head and let out a sigh. Despair noticed this and asked him.

"What is it? Something bothering you?" asked Despair.

"I just…remembered something." he replied.

Yeah, it was true. He did remember something. His family; he felt a bit homesick. Who wouldn't? He'd been in this world for about five days now and it has been one heck of an adventure. But all of it…was fun for him, but he was beginning to miss his family. The rest of the guys here felt like family to him, but he still missed his parents. He liked it here more than ever, but he'd like to see them at least.

His head snapped up when he saw Demex enter with his family, along with Malefor. It was complete. It was like, there was a reunion. Everyone greeted everyone accordingly, with Despair and Josh standing at the corner.

0 0 0 0 0

After the heartwarming reunion that-wasn't-intended-to-be a reunion, Josh, Delnok, Despair, Demex, Spyro and Malefor went to the infirmary to check over the dragoness that was rescued last night. Amy, Krystal, Spirit, Fira and Cynder watched over the kids as they played at the Temple grounds, whilst their fathers were busy.

The six males entered the infirmary with Josh looking around curiously. This was the first time he had visited a dragon healing area and he was curious of their methods. There were shelves at the side, filled with different sizes of vials with unknown liquids within them. There was even a box that contained red gems, no doubt used for healing. There was also one that contained different scrolls, no doubt the patient data being on them.

The head healer greeted them as they entered.

"How is she?" asked Malefor.

"She is awake, and fully okay. You are free to visit her now. And someone is here as well, talking to her." said the healer. This raised everyone's eyebrow. Who was it? Nevertheless, they'd find out later.

"Thank you." replied Malefor.

They entered and were surprised at the sight before them. The Chronicler was beside the bed, talking to the dragoness they had rescued. Malefor's world seemed like it had stopped. His eyes widened and he felt like he would faint.

"It…can't…be…" he whispered to himself as he took in the features of the dragoness. The scales, the body, everything about her; he knew exactly who she was.

"…Nomex." he mouthed. Josh looked at Malefor's reaction and immediately knew something was up.

_What would make Malefor react like that…?_ He thought to himself.

Then it all fell into pieces. He looked at the dragoness and back to Malefor, and back again. That was his mate, Nomex. Wait…that would be wrong, because Nomex was supposed to be _dead_. From what had Demex told him back then, this supports the theory. But how is that she is here. The two dragons talking noticed the other party, and Josh saw the Chronicler smile warmly, whilst the dragoness looked at them, specifically to Malefor with a longing look.

"Ignitus? Dad? What's going on?" asked Demex, confused as to why everyone was acting like this and to why Ignitus was here.

"Ditto." said Despair in a nasally voice.

"Sons…" said Malefor as he approached the ice dragoness. To everyone's surprise they nuzzled each other. Delnok was about to say something but Malefor looked at them with a serious look. "I'd like you to meet your mother, Nomex."

"Hello, Demex, Delnok, Spyro…you three look so old now." said Nomex in a motherly tone.

Then that was when everything clicked for Demex. That's why she looked familiar back at Dante's Freezer; because she was his mother.

0 0 0 0 0

Despair, Ignitus and Josh were equally standing at the corner, and feeling happy for the family that was now reunited. Though Despair wasn't still in on Demex's story; the family before them, hugged and cried, even Spyro for seeing his mother. It was a touching moment. Josh felt even more homesick and couldn't help but cry a little.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" asked Despair.

"I miss my family." answered Josh. Despair nodded. Behind him, Ignitus lowered his head and whispered something so the two of them were the only ones could hear.

"Josh, it's alright to tell him who you _really _are." he told them. Josh looked at him, surprised and was about to ask how he knew that, but then realized, he was the Chronicler. Despair on the other hand was just confused.

"What do you mean? Who you really _are_?" asked Despair. "Who are you exactly?"

"It's a long story." said Josh. "But I guess I can summarize it for you." Despair looked at him curiously.

"I am Josh Wilbert, friend of Demex Windsor. We are both humans…" he began.

0 0 0 0 0

Once everything settled down, with the family before them all reacquainted, Josh managed to finish his story. Despair was actually surprised to hear about other worlds like Josh's world. More so about Demex's story. About the Other World and such; it was quite an interesting tale and more so it was true. But now that he was acquainted with what was going on, a question was raised. How is it that Nomex is still alive? This question burned on everyone's mind, except Ignitus and Nomex.

"Ignitus, how is that my mother is still alive? You told me she passed away." said Demex.

He shook his head. "I never told you she passed away."

"Then why didn't you tell me back then, then?" asked Demex.

"Because…"

* * *

**Please take some time to R&R.**

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	20. Chapter 20 Into More Hidden History

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Yey! I just broke 100 reviews! And the 100th reviewer was...dragonrider101.**

**Spirit: Yey!**

**Alec: That's good to hear! Another for you eh?**

**Zayril: Yup!**

**Richer: You're moving up!**

**Despair: *looks down* What in the world happened?**

**Josh: Yeah! And I was about to bask in glory!**

**Demex: I wonder what happened to the three of us afterwards. And dang those are long paragraphs.**

**Zayril: Work hard on em! Nomex has one long explanation!**

**Nomex: Will you guys stop stalling and just do the disclaimers?**

**Zayril: Okay...**

**Alec, Demex**** and Spirit: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer, Nomex, Josh and Despair: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair.**

* * *

Chapter 20

Into More Hidden History

"Ignitus, how is that my mother is still alive? You told me she passed away." said Demex.

He shook his head. "I never told you she passed away."

"Then why didn't you tell me back then, then?" asked Demex.

"Because…" began Ignitus, but Nomex cut her off.

"We should start with my story first." Ignitus nodded and let her explain. She cleared her throat then began. Everyone paid clear attention; especially the three brothers; Despair and Josh stood at the corner as well, listening intently.

"Once I had succeeded in ensuring the safety of my children, which were Demex and Delnok, with Demex being teleported and Delnok being frozen, I was happy. But it wasn't enough. Back then, I thought I had lost Spyro; because we couldn't find his egg when Gaul invaded the Temple. But apparently, _Ignitus_ was the one who took it from its place." she cocked her head towards him, before continuing. "At the time, I thought I had, apparently, already lost one. I couldn't afford to lose another."

"And this is where I come in," continued Malefor. "I now realize, that what I had done back then, meant more to her than it did to me."

"What? What do you mean?" asked Spyro.

"Everyone here knows that I was the one who imparted Portal knowledge to my mate. But apparently, she had more use to it." answered Malefor.

"Yes. After the things I did with Demex and Delnok, I headed to my next destination; Dante's Freezer. Why you may ask? It's because of this. With Mal teaching me all about Portals, I also had to self study myself to excel further. Luckily, I found a book that delved into Portals even more. From there, my assumptions of other worlds existing strengthened. And to add to that, I had learned there, that aside from Portal Magic from dragons, there are Portals Gates; one of which can be found in this area is the Portal Caverns. But with this added knowledge, came another thing. The orbs; from that book, I had learned that you can manipulate what world the gate opens to with the aid of the orbs. I didn't mind this knowledge much back then, but it became a crucial thing. You see, I headed to Dante's Freezer, because you can _find_ the orbs there, mentioned in the book, which in turn they were. I knew one day my mate would be freed and no doubt wreak havoc and destruction. I decided to do the thing I did, to ensure that _at least_ Mal wouldn't be able to get to Demex, who was at the Other World, VIA the Portal Gate. And as well, not cause any trouble for other worlds out there." narrated Nomex.

"So that's _why_ you're at Dante's Freezer…" said Delnok.

"But that doesn't explain how you were encased in ice…mom." said Demex, trying to still grasp the fact that his real mother was right in front of him.

"Yeah…how _did_ you encase yourself in ice? And why did you encase yourself?" asked Spyro.

"This I have to know. I might learn a thing or two." said Josh, leaning in.

"Well, the reason I was encased in ice, is because…I chose to do so. It's a known dragon technique for ice dragons that they can freeze themselves, to ensure their safety and those things around them. It's only taught to adult ice dragons that are powerful enough to do so. If I am correct, Cyril who was the one who taught me to do this. Anyways, I froze myself, to ensure my safety, as well as the Orbs that were located there. You see, when you are frozen, you are placed in a suspended animation state, allowing you to do it for extended periods of time. If anyone tried to _break_ the ice, whilst you're in them, the ice would not break, as it is using your power to maintain itself. That is, if you wish to be inside the ice during the time of 'attack'. With this in mind, I froze myself, _along_ with the orbs, so that, whenever Mal comes along and tries to get the orbs; he has to come through me. But of course, over time, my power began to weaken, as I needed to rest. A part of the ice melted, unluckily enough, it held the orb." explained Nomex.

"So that explains that. Explains as well why we found the orb whilst finding you were encased in ice." said Despair.

"And why the band was transparent!" said Josh.

"What?" Despair asked.

"You know the band of the orb. It was transparent when I saw it. It must have been the effects of being encased in ice for so long." answered Josh.

"Okay…but Ignitus, you still haven't answered my question. Why didn't you tell us that our mother was alive? We could have rescued her." said Demex.

"Yes…but the problem with that is…I didn't actually know if she was alive or not." answered Ignitus.

"What?" asked Delnok. Nomex cocked her head.

"Maybe I can help. You see, when ice dragons use that ability that I used, it _mimics_ death. It stops _all_ body functions. Elemental powers, since they are magic, aren't exactly body functions so it isn't stopped." explained Nomex.

"And that single piece of information was something I did not know." answered the teal dragon. "You see, I knew that your mother was alive _before_ she used that ability. But when she did, her book…stopped writing."

"What?" Despair asked..

"Whoa, really?" asked Spyro, completely surprised.

"Yes. And to make matters worse, I checked over the Book of Death, and _didn't _find her name." he added with a smirk.

"What in the world?" Josh commented.

"Indeed; I was locked in a stalemate. She was still _alive_ as she wasn't at the Book of Death, but she was _dead_ because her book stopped writing. She was at the borderline, you could say. She neither existed nor lived in other words. That is the reason why I never told you about her in the recent years. Then…"

**~FLASHBACK~**

**Time Frame: Chapter 37, Epilogue, **_**The Blue Dragon**_**, The Chronicler/Ignitus' POV**

Ignitus smiled at Demex's statement. He was currently reading the cobalt blue dragon's book which was floating right before him.

"That is correct young dragon. Where there is light, there will always be darkness." he said, agreeing to Demex's statement. He was about to close the book when the next page began to glow. Curious, Ignitus turned the page. His eyes swept over the lines and both suddenly grew wide.

"Oh my…"

The new page that was freshly made contained details of how Demex was going to meet, his mother, alive and well.

**~ END OF FLASHBACK~**

"…After seeing that book, I immediately rushed over and looked at Nomex's. I was surprised to find that it was writing again. The new page said that she was going to break out of the ice. But not only had that happened during that day. That was when Josh's book also appeared." explained the Chronicler.

This made Josh smile. But then, an idea popped into his head. If the Book of Life recorded your history, wouldn't it help you for you to remember your memories if you have amnesia?

But apparently, Ignitus already had thought of this, as he had read about this in Josh's book.

"Before you ask Josh; I am sorry. I must have misplaced Despair's book. I can't seem to find it. I beg your deepest apologies for my old age." said Ignitus, as he sighed.

"You lost the book?" asked Demex quite surprised.

"Technically no; I have read it before. But now, I must have misplaced it amongst the _piles_ of books I have. It's not easy being the Chronicler. I prefer being a guardian." said Ignitus looking at Malefor, earning him a chuckle.

"Sorry Ignitus, I prefer being a Guardian." said Malefor.

Everyone chuckled…though Despair was a saddened by the fact that he was so close to knowing his story. Josh noticed this, and comforted him.

"Don't worry, the Chronicler is reliable. He'll find your book in no time." said Josh, this made Despair smile.

0 0 0 0 0

After the long meet and greet, the rest of the family tree, along with friends, met Nomex. The three brothers introduced their mates, along with their children. Felix, Damien, Demila and Serenity were all surprised to meet their grandmother, but nevertheless accepted her with no problem. Spirit and Krystal met Nomex and got along pretty well. It really was like on big happy reunion.

Josh and Despair on the other hand though, excused themselves, as they weren't really part of the occasion. Josh sighed as he sat under a tree next to Despair. Josh rested his back as he glanced at his surroundings, occasionally studying a group of student dragons. Josh missed his family. He really_ was_ beginning to feel homesick. Despair on the other hand felt troubled that he was that close. _That_ close, to knowing who he was, and it got taken away. More so, he still was bothered by those images he saw back at Dante's Freezer. What could they have possibly mean?

Trying to get his mind off things, he remembered something he promised Josh.

"Hey Josh, remember what I promised you back at Dante's Freezer?" asked Despair. Josh thought really hard and remembered it. Despair promised him that he'd teach him how to use his element.

"Oh yeah! You promised me you'd teach me how to use my element." said Josh, remembering it.

"Yeah," said Despair. "I think now is the perfect time since we're not doing anything important."

"Okay then." said Josh.

"But I think you shouldn't do it here. Or at the Training Room." came another voice. Despair and Josh both looked up and saw Demex heading towards their direction.

"You thought your own best friend wouldn't teach you?" asked Demex rhetorically.

"Thanks Demex." said Josh. Despair smiled.

"The more the merrier then; where _would_ we teach him then?" asked Despair.

"Since the Training Room currently has students, the grounds not being the best suited place to train…" Demex thought for a second then continued. "I know a place somewhere in the forest. Follow me."

0 0 0 0 0

The forest around them glistened with ice crystals as well as it was singed with burn marks. Demex and Josh were both surprised that Despair bore the element electricity. Josh was expecting it to be Shadow. Once they had started practicing, Josh found himself panting hard; they haven't even gone to the hard part. After an uncountable amount of failures, Josh had succeeded in spewing ice. The problem was though was volume and strength. He couldn't shoot it far enough, nor have enough strength and force in it, to impale the icicles.

"Try again. C'mon! You can do it Josh! I know you can!" encouraged Despair.

"I can do this….I can do this…I can do this…" he said, before rearing up, taking a deep breath just like Demex instructed and released. He let out an Ice Shot that contained icicles that headed straight to a tree. It impaled itself and it made the tree topple over as the weight of the icicles was too much.

"That's it! You're getting it now!" exclaimed Demex.

After a few more breath exercise, they decided to kick it up a notch; furies. They had Josh go to a crash course as Demex found it necessary that he knew how to defend himself when the time came.

"Are you sure I can do this?" asked Josh, beads of sweat was going down his face. Demex was actually surprised by the amount of power Josh had. By now, he himself would have been showing signs of exhaustion. Josh on the other hand was panting, but was still roaring to go. He really was determined.

"Yeah you can. Just feel the energy, gather, harness and finally release. Got it memorized?" asked Demex.

"Yeah Axe—I mean Demex." said Josh, remembering the quotation. Demex raised a brow, but nevertheless shrugged it off. He stepped to the corner and stood next to Despair.

Following Demex's instruction, Josh accessed the innate power that was flowing through him. He felt the energy all over him and tried to access them all. Then with his will, he gathered them all up, making his body glow and temporarily float for a moment. Once he began to harness, signs of a fury emanating became visible as bands of ice began to form around him.

"He's a fast learner. Fastest I've ever seen. Determination does have its advantages." said Despair wiping his nose. He still had a cold.

"I know." said Demex.

It was all going well…until…

A loud _hissing_ sound became apparent as it echoed through the area. At first Demex didn't take note of this. It was when he felt a strong gush of wind rush him, he noticed it. His eyes widened at the sight and he knew Despair was as well. A large oval had appeared on top the area they were, and was the main cause of the blasting of the wind. It seemed obscured and faded, but it was sure as heck there. One word came to mind. It was a Portal; caused by, no doubt, the unstable Portal Fluxes.

They had to get out of there, but Josh was in the middle of a fury and that can't be stopped. And to make matters worse, _something_ jumped out of the Portal. It somehow gave Demex the faint image of a Predator but it looked a bit more…menacing. Its hide was shadow black, and he swore he could see faint wisps of smoke emitting from it, making it seem like it was made of gas; and its eyes were darker than blood red. Its head darted left and right, sniffing the air for its supposed prey. When its head turned to the three of them, he swore, it made his entire body lock up from the sudden rush of…fear.

Those things were bad news, whatever they were.

And to top it off, it noticed Josh…and started charging. It opened its maws, aimed for the jugular. It hit Josh, he would be injured badly. He had to get to his friend fast enough. He needed quick agility and he needed it badly; same with Demex.

The two of them ran towards their friend. Running towards Josh, Despair felt the world around him slow down as he raced to get his friend away from the line of fire. He could see the enemy running towards Josh, death readable in its eyes. He turned his head and saw Josh nearly done with his Ice Fury and was about to release. He was going to get hit by it. But he didn't care. He knew that before Josh could do his fury, he would have been struck by the jugular, meaning instant death.

Using all his strength, he leaped and pushed Josh out of the way.

Josh didn't know what had happened. He only knew one thing. He had successfully released his ice fury. And it felt great! But before he could bask himself in his success, he saw a bright light and felt everything go to a blur.

* * *

**Please take some time to R&R.**

**Please take some time to visit the website.**

**And favorite it, along with the author.**


	21. Chapter 21 Nighttime Action

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Sorry about this chapter guys for being a bit late...I was out.**

**Alec: Out you were.**

**Richer: *Looks down* Oooh! Malefor! You were_ so_ close!**

**Malefor: *bows head*I know.**

**Felix: What do you mean Richer?**

**Josh: Uh...Felix, you're to young to know about that.**

**Felix: About what? **

**Spirit: Felix...drop the subject.**

**Nomex: Don't worry Mal. We get to do it off screen anyway.**

**Malefor: *perks up* Really!**

**Zayril: Okay...disclaimers please.**

**Felix: What are they going to do?**

**Everyone except Felix: FELIX.**

**Felix: Okay..okay...**

**Alec, Felix**** and Spirit: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer, Nomex and Malefor: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair.**

* * *

Chapter 21

Nighttime Action

Josh felt numb as he felt that the world seemed to have gone white. The last images he saw were of Despair pushing him of to the side. But for what reason, he didn't know. But what he did know was that he could finally utilize his element, which was ice. He was no longer weak. Along with the sense of going numb, it seemed as if ears were filled with nothing but white noise. He couldn't hear anything. He couldn't even hear his own breathing! Let alone his heartbeat. It was as if everything…was in a standstill.

Then, as quickly as it began, everything reverted back.

Sounds and sights overwhelmed Josh's sensory receptors, making him basically feel dizzy from the rush of things. Sound came back, and the first thing he heard was a loud _thud_. And then he felt his body collide with something hard. Apparently it was solid ground.

"Oof!" he grunted as he rolled as his momentum from Despair's push carried him. After maintaining equilibrium, he coughed as he tried to stand up. Apparently, the damage that his Ice Fury created was beyond what he expected. It really was a fury. There were some trees that fell down along with some icicles stabbed into them. There was even a crater! From where he stood earlier it seemed.

"Josh!" called out a voice that surprised him. It was Demex's voice. He turned around was surprised to see Demex.

"Are you okay?" he asked him. His human-turned dragon best friend approached him.

"I'm fine. I only got bruised when I crashed down the ground. What the heck happened? Why did it suddenly go night time?" asked Demex.

"I don't know." then Josh realized something. "Where's Despair!"

The two dragons looked around, Josh looking for his other friend frantically. Out of haste, he checked the crater earlier and found him, lying on the ground. He was wounded and had a few open wounds and gashes, along with lacerations.

"Despair! Are you okay!" he asked. But he got no response. Despair was unconscious.

"C'mon Demex! We have to help him!" he exclaimed. Demex shook his head.

"We won't be able to carry him. With my state, I'd only make it worse. You can't carry him alone." reasoned Demex.

"Well what do we do then?" asked Josh, beginning to panic.

"Not panic of course. C'mon, let's get help from the Temple." said Demex, and then he headed to the direction of the forest, following the trail going back to Temple.

"Don't worry Despair, we'll come back for you." shouted Josh before running after Demex.

Whilst heading back with Demex, Josh looked up at the sky. What he saw completely surprised him. Up until now, he didn't realize what time it was.

But now, seeing the sky, and looking around him, he realized what time it was. It was nighttime now. The moon was up. Wasn't it just afternoon earlier? They didn't _that_ long in training did they? Maybe they did…

"You noticed it too?" asked Demex to him, catching him off guard.

"Noticed what?" asked Josh in between breaths. He was panting now as they ran as fast as they could.

"The time." stated Demex.

"Maybe...we just took that long in training." suggested Josh.

"Maybe…" replied Demex

0 0 0 0 0

"Wow…I really missed a lot didn't I?" asked Nomex sheepishly.

"You have missed a lot." replied Malefor with a smile. Malefor sat close to Nomex and nuzzled her face.

"I really missed you a lot." said Malefor looking at her directly in the eyes. "You don't know how much I was pained to think that you had died."

"I missed you too." replied Nomex, licking him in the cheek. Malefor just shivered in delight. He missed how she made her shiver.

"You've been lacking affection haven't you?" she asked mischievously. Malefor, playing along, put on a sad, needy, whimpering face and nodded. Nomex patted his head and kissed him.

"Don't worry. I'm going to give you all the affection you want. Starting no—"

Nomex didn't get her chance to finish her sentence, because all of a sudden, the intimacy between them was broken. Broken by a piercing cry; that came from outside. It was a howling cry of pain that pierced the silence. More so, it came from outside; at the Temple grounds. Malefor's eyes widened when he heard it. He recognized the scream. It came from…Delnok.

"Oh no; Delnok!" he shouted standing up, and getting serious.

"What was that!" exclaimed Nomex.

"I'll go check it out. Stay here Nomex." said Malefor. Nomex was about to refuse, but trusted Malefor's judgment. She nodded and watched as Malefor ran out of the room.

0 0 0 0 0

"How's the cold?" asked Delnok to her younger brother. Spyro sniffed, which in turn made the mucus audibly moved in his nostrils.

"Still the same; probably getting worse; at this rate, I might develop Draconic Flu." said Spyro, sounding quite nasally.

"Where are the kids?" he asked, looking around. "Aren't you supposed to be watching over them?"

"They're with Spirit and Krystal. They seem to enjoy babysitting. Serenity's there as well." replied Delnok.

"Have you seen Cynder around?" Delnok raised a brow.

"Isn't she supposed to be with you?" Spyro shook his head.

"I haven't seen her lately." said Spyro.

"Speaking of which, where is Demex, Despair and Josh?" asked Delnok, looking outwards to the forest. The two of them were at the Temple grounds, basking themselves in the moonlight.

"They were out training out in the forest. They didn't want to bother the daily Temple activities and all. They should be back any minute now." said Spyro. Delnok nodded. Then somebody came out off the Temple. It was Felix.

Felix was about to open his mouth and was about to ask something when all of a sudden something disturbed the night.

A loud _hissing_ sound became apparent as it echoed through the area. Then a strong gush of wind blew over the two of them. Delnok's eyes widened at the sight and he knew Spyro's was as well. A large oval had appeared on top the area they were, and was the main cause of the blasting of the wind. It seemed obscured and faded, but it was sure as heck there. One word came to mind. It was a Portal; caused by, no doubt, the unstable Portal Fluxes.

And to make matters worse, _something_ jumped out of the Portal. It somehow gave Delnok the faint image of a Predator but it looked a bit more…menacing. Its hide was shadow black, and he swore he could see faint wisps of smoke emitting from it, making it seem like it was made of gas; and its eyes were darker than blood red. Its head darted left and right, sniffing the air for its supposed prey. When its head turned to the three of them, he swore, it made his entire body lock up from the sudden rush of…fear.

"Oh snap…" said Delnok. "Felix, run to the Temple NOW!"

"But—"

"No arguing." Felix nodded and ran back to the entrance and watched the fight.

And then the fight began. The…thing saw them and locked on. It charged, running at the two dragons. Unluckily enough, the prey chosen was none other than Delnok. Spyro blew some ice shots at it, but its quick speed evaded it. It pounced with its maw opened and it speared Delnok. The bite landed on his torso, and quickly did its damage. This was confirmed when Delnok howled loudly with pain, piercing the night's silence. It was howling scream of agony.

"DELNOK!" cried out Spyro. He just saw his brother go down. That was the point in time that he just lost it and went all out. Spyro roared and unleashed a strong torrent of earth shots at his enemy. Before it could even dodge it, Spyro unleashed a hail of icicles followed by an inferno of pyrotechnical flames. The enemy was lucky to dodge the earth shots, as for the latter part…he didn't come out. Literally; he didn't. Spyro went overkill.

After confirming that the monster was gone, Spyro checked over his brother, and saw that his torso was bleeding badly. A gash came from it and was oozing blood. Luckily, it wasn't fatal, but left untreated, he'd die due to loss of blood. And at this point, Felix came out of the Temple to check over his uncle. But he noticed something Spyro didn't. There was another one, and it was rearing up to attack Spyro.

Seeing this, he instantly charged and fired a technique he had been practicing. It consisted of him having to fire his Flame Shot consecutively, up to about 10 times, the last one being one big explosion. Of course, he still couldn't get the explosion correctly, but everything was ridining on this so he decided to use this. He hoped that his earlier training sessions with Ignitus, when he was there earlier, was worth it.

Felix fired. 1…2…3…. Consecutive shot after shot hit the thing making it stagger. Spyro was surprised at what was going and saw what Felix was attacking. Spyro himself was familiar with this technique and realized that this was hard for someone, especially with Felix's age. 7…8…9….Felix came to the last part, and charged his largest fireball yet. It was bigger than him! Launching it, it struck the staggering enemy and dissipated into a gas of smoke.

And at that point Malefor came outside of the Temple.

0 0 0 0 0

When Demex and Josh arrived at the Temple, they were both out of breath and Josh felt that he'd collapse from the exhaustion. The amount of power he used on his fury, plus the stress he received from the running came together and overwhelmed his body. Normally, someone who was used to doing this, like Demex for example wouldn't have problems. But Josh wasn't like Demex, and this made him falter.

"I….need…to….catch…my…breath!" he said, before falling down the ground, his muscles aching. His breathing was ragged and he seemed like he was wheezing.

"You're out of shape Josh." remarked Demex, who wasn't fairing better himself. He was going to collapse as well any minute, from the exhaustion himself.

But he was only pushed onwards by the fact that Despair needed help.

When the Temple came into view, they saw Malefor standing beside Spyro and Felix, as they looked at Delnok get carried away by Spirit and Amy to the infirmary.

"What happened?" asked Demex.

"What happened to you two?" counter asked Malefor.

"Despair…needs…help." panted Josh, and then he collapsed then and there, losing connection with reality.

0 0 0 0 0

The air was still and had a slight chill. The moon was up at the sky, against the starry backdrop. The trees did not sway for there was no wind. It was silent, like everything had died. Slowly, the stillness was disturbed as a being came to. His body ached as he grimaced in pain, trying to stand on all fours. He couldn't help but look in shock as he saw the smoking crater he was in. The land was cracked as the earth contained gashes, signifying the destruction that had happen. With each step panging him with pain, he climbed out. Rocks shifted, beads of sweat dripping, he slowly came out, exposing his physical features to the world. The once lustrous and shining scales were now covered with streaks of red, no doubt blood. Open gashes and lacerations littered his body, with bruises on his underbelly. He looked around warily, as if searching and scanning for something which resulted to nothing.

Pushing himself forward, he began to walk, walk away from ground zero. He was actually surprised at the amount of destruction that had been conjured up. Some trees had missing branches; some had been uprooted and laid flat and dead on the floor. Others were left with nothing but an upturned soil, the tree nowhere in sight, no doubt a few miles away from their location.

But of course, due to the extent of his injuries, he didn't have a lot to go with. In just a few minutes, his vision began to blur at the edges. His body began to falter; his tail beginning to sag. Not a few seconds later, his body severed the connection of his brain to his body. His body toppled to the ground, his eyes closed and stayed still. He was out cold; passed out; bleeding out, his injuries that was beginning to spell death in blood red letters.

Then, a rustle became audible; just moments after he had passed out.

The leaves parted from a nearby bush as a paw moved them away. Three figures came out. One, a cobalt blue dragon, gasped as he saw the lifeless body. The other, a red dragon, much smaller than the former, since he was a child, looked around warily. The third and last, was a purple dragon, as big as the first one, stood guard beside the blue as he checked over him.

"How is he?" asked the purple one, his voice deeper, nearly going to baritone.

"Not good Spyro; he's lost too much blood. We need to get him to the Temple as soon as possible." he answered whilst checking over the blood soaked dragon.

"Okay then," Spyro turned to the red dragon. "Felix, you help me give some cover while Demex carries him back to the Temple. We'll cover your father in case a Predator decides to appear on this of all nights."

Felix nodded. "You got it uncle."

The son and uncle then went to formation, Felix in front, Spyro at the back, Demex in the middle with the dragon. They needed to get him to safety. Slowly, the trio marched, heading out of the forest.

"I hope you don't die Despair." said Demex. "Josh was so worried about you."

"What in the world happened back there?" asked Spyro, inhaling some mucus.

"Josh learnt his fury. At the same time one of those…_things_ arrived. Despair was close to Josh when he pushed him out of the way of the _thing_ that attacked. Unluckily, he pushed just at the same time his fury blasted." said Demex.

"So that's why Despair's so wounded." said Felix.

* * *

**Author's Notes: (To all my readers)**

**Yes, from what I was saying at the backstage, _that_ was what I was implying Malefor and Nomex were about to do. You know what I mean right? And to point out, the chapter title has actually multiple meanings. About...3. Malefor and Nomex's failed escapade. Delnok, Spyro and Felix's scene. Demex and Josh's scene at the beginning.**

* * *

**Please take some time to R&R.**

**Please take some time to visit the website.**

**And favorite it, along with the author.**


	22. Chapter 22 Great Decision

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Another chapter done!**

**Alec: YEY!**

**Richer: That's great!**

**Felix: It's been a long time since you last updated!**

**Zayril: I know.**

**Spirit: *looks down* Wow. Nice!**

**Malefor: Let us not waste time! I want to read it! *Starts reading***

**Nomex: Let's do the disclaimers then!**

**Zayril: You bet!**

**Alec, Felix**** and Spirit: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer, Nomex and Malefor: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair.**

**Draconic Flu idea belongs to Alec the Dark Angel.**

* * *

Chapter 22

Great Decision

Josh awoke with one mighty groan. All of his muscles burned and he felt that his back was sore. Very, very sore; Josh was really out of shape. He tried to move, as in shifting his position, but got more burning muscles rather than relaxation. But that was when he opened his eyes and took a look at his surroundings.

He was at the infirmary, lying down one of the beds. But as he gazed up at the ceiling, things that had happened yesterday started flooding his mind, and he sat bolt upright, regretting it as pain washed over him. He remembered about Despair, and wondered what had happen to him. But he had to cringe and groan as his back ached from the sudden action he had just done.

He was surprised to find Cynder come to his side and check on him.

"You okay?" she asked, as he looked up and looked at Cynder.

"…what do you think…?" he asked rhetorically. Apparently, Cynder was right beside his bed. She was his nurse. Cynder smirked and shook her head.

"It'll be gone before you know." said Cynder. Josh sighed.

"I hope so. Where's Despair by the way? What happened last night?" Josh asked, getting concerned.

"Relax Josh, Despair's fine. He's right beside you." said Cynder with a smile. Josh turned his head, and true to her words, Despair was awake, and was smiling at him. He was being nursed by Krystal who was giggling. Josh sighed, feeling relieved. Despair had survived the ordeal yesterday and that made him happy.

"Hey Cynder, where's Sparx by the way?" asked Krystal as he helped Despair sit upright. "I haven't seen him lately."

"He returned back to his family. Missed them too much." replied Cynder, before she helped Josh up.

And that was when Spirit came into the infirmary.

"Oh good, you two are awake." he said, as he saw that Josh and Despair were now standing, and stretching.

"What is it Spirit?" asked Josh.

"Ignitus is looking for you." he answered. "Cynder, Spyro needs you at your room. You should comfort him."

"Why? What happened to Spyro?" asked Josh curiously.

"His cold…got worse. Turned into Draconic Flu." answered Spirit. "Krystal, the kids are waiting for you at the grounds. You get to watch the kids. Amy is taking care of Delnok for the time being; same with Fira for Demex."

"What happened to the two of them?" asked Despair and Josh both at the same time.

"Delnok's wounds are still healing and he needs a nurse. Same with Demex; he can barely move; your fury took its toll on him. Add that plus the exhaustion he got yesterday from everything, he wore out." said Spirit, referring to Josh's fury yesterday.

"I see." said Despair.

Josh was surprised to find that the three brothers, Spyro, Demex and Delnok were all out of commission. They were supposed to be strong, but he guessed dragons like them have their day offs. But he wondered…if dragons like them, protectors per se, had day offs, who would be protecting the Dragon Realms if they were out?

_It must be their mates?_ He thought. _Then again, their mates would be by their side so that's out of the option._ He continued.

_Must be the Guardians along with the Silver Dragon then…but then again, they're probably too old to be moving around way too much._

His train of thought was derailed when Despair tapped his shoulder.

"C'mon Josh. Ignitus is looking for us." said Despair.

"Oh…okay." he replied, before heading out of the infirmary. As they walked down the halls of the Temple, a question came into Josh's mind.

"Hey Despair?" Despair raised a brow.

"What?"

"What happened yesterday? I don't really get it." he told him. Despair scratched his head.

"I don't really get it too Josh." This took Josh by surprise.

"What?" Despair nodded.

"You see, from what I remember, whilst you were doing your fury, a Portal Flux happened. Then…these…_things_ came out and tried to attack you. You didn't notice them because you were concentrating on your fury. The two of us, me and Demex, ran towards you and I tried pushing you away." he explained.

"That's why I was pushed…" commented Josh.

"Yeah, I managed to push you, but as you did, you exploded. You know your fury. After that, I don't remember anything else." he finished.

"What? You don't remember the light?" asked Josh.

"Frankly, I don't remember any light appearing." answered Despair.

"Hmm…mystery of the light…as well as the time." said Josh.

"What time?" Despair asked,

"Demex was the one who noticed this. You see, when we were training there, the sun, was still up. It was setting, but nonetheless it was noticeably there. After…the light I saw, I crashed to the ground, and it was already dark. It was nighttime all of a sudden." said Josh.

"Odd…but I guess we shouldn't worry about it. We're alive aren't we?" Despair asked rhetorically.

"Good point." replied Josh.

The two of them turned around the hallway and soon found the door leading to the Guardians room. Despair knocked, and the door was opened by Malefor.

"Glad you two are okay." said Malefor, as they entered. Josh saw that Felix was there as well, standing close to Ignitus, and an unfathomable expression on his face. Something told him something big has gone down; very big.

"What is this about?" asked Josh.

"You don't beat around the bush eh?" asked Ignitus with a smirk.

"We don't." replied Despair, feeling a bit nervous but not showing it.

"Good. I am assured that you already know what had happened to Malefor's sons?" asked Ignitus.

"We do." replied Josh. "About them out of commission; Malefor, what's the cure for Draconic Flu?"

"Bed rest; do not worry. He will be fine." replied Malefor.

"Let us get to the topic." said Ignitus. "I have summoned the two of you here, along with Malefor's consent to summon Felix, for an important reason. I trust that you understand the gravity of the Portal Fluxes?"

"Yes." replied the three of them.

"Malefor, can you get them up to speed then." said Ignitus. Malefor nodded.

He then began to briefly explain to them the knowledge they now have had about the Portals. How it couldn't be natural, and was being caused by someone. Like a sorcerer. He also told them that the Sorcerer could be from another world, thus, the objective of getting the orb.

"Okay…why are you telling us this?" asked Felix.

"Isn't it obvious? We are giving you three…this quest." said Ignitus ominously.

"Yeah like _what_?" Josh asked, completely taken aback.

"You have to understand. Josh, I know of your origins, and I ask a favor from you. I ask that you accept this quest as our…main team, is out." said Ignitus, trying to explain it as easily as he can.

"We have nobody else other than you three to entrust this task to. We Guardians are troubled of the things going on with the Fluxes happening. The brothers' mates won't leave their side and we have no right to force them. The brothers themselves are out of the question for their recent injuries. The Silver Dragon and his mate are both old and are no longer fit to do heroic tasks such as this. Only you three are the ones able and are accessible at this urgent need of time. And three are needed for this endearing task. Sending two is just unwise." explained Ignitus.

"What about Felix? Isn't he too young?" asked Josh.

"Wasn't Spyro the same age when he took on Cynder back then?" counter asked Ignitus. "And, he has enough mastery of his ability to be formidable in battle."

"Okay…" said Josh, thinking it over clearly.

"I'll do it." said Despair.

Josh looked at Despair, surprised at his statement.

"Besides the fact I have nothing to do anyway, who's going to watch over Felix?" he asked rhetorically. "And besides, seeing new worlds might refresh my memory, who knows?"

Everybody now looked at Josh, waiting for his reply. This was a three-dragon mission. He's the third one for the job. But his mind was on overdrive. He couldn't do this. He was no hero. He wasn't even brave enough to think of the facts! And his train of thought was derailed when Malefor cleared his throat.

"I see you need time to think. It's understandable under your given circumstances. We'll wait for your decision at the Portal Caverns up to 10 AM today. Just ask Nomex to bring you there. I have instructed her to bring the Orb there at that time." then Malefor left, followed by Ignitus, Despair and Felix. Josh stood there all alone at the center of the room. He looked to his right and saw the sun from the window. From his calculations, it was 8:30 AM.

_1 hour and a half… _He thought to himself as he left the room to think.

0 0 0 0 0

_The time of your life… _

_Should I do this quest?_

_Can I even do it…? _

_I'm no hero…but everyone's counting on me…who'd do it if I won't? I'm sure Despair and Felix can handle this…but they'd need the extra help eventually…taking on someone as strong as the Sorcerer isn't easy…they'd need all the help they can get, even if it's someone as inexperienced as me._

_And besides…I'm not doing this for the heroism…I'm not doing this for myself…nor am I doing this because I was forced…_

_I'm doing this…for my friends…_

_They're counting on me to save their world from the drastic Portal Fluxes…_

_I won't let them down…_

_Demex, you can count on me._

_Maybe I am rookie to this dragon thing or not, but this place feel like another home to me. I won't let it get ruined._

_Never…_

_Ever…_

* * *

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	23. Chapter 23 The Sendoff

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Sorry for the late update guys!**

**Alec: Apparently, Zayril's been quite busy.**

**Richer: Especially with the KH 2 incident.**

**Spirit: What incident?**

**Nomex: Its something not really interesting to others.**

**Malefor: Really then? Want to see something interesting? **

**Zayril: What? **

**Malefor: This chapter! **

**Zayril: Oh right! Time for the disclaimers!**

**Alec, Felix**** and Spirit: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer, Nomex and Malefor: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair.**

**Zayril: Time to start the _real _adventure.**

* * *

Chapter 23

The Sendoff

"Do you think he'll come?" asked Despair.

"We can never be sure." said Malefor, as he stood in front of a rock formation.

"Wow…this place is…odd…" said Felix as he looked around.

The three of them stood inside the Portal Caverns cavernous chamber. The area was dimly lit with glowing stones at the side, and the air was chilly. Felix shuddered here and there as they waited for 10 AM to roll by. They were waiting for their third dragon, Josh. Only time will tell if Josh decided to go with them on this daring quest.

Despair sighed as he sat down the floor. He wondered what he would do if Josh didn't come. He couldn't handle the Sorcerer and watch out for Felix at the same time. Felix was way too young to go on quests like this. But circumstances forced them to have him part of the group, so he couldn't really complain. He can only just do his best to worry and protect him. He didn't want to be the one faulted for causing Demex's son's death.

Felix sat next to Despair as the three of them waited. Malefor was patiently pacing as time ticked by.

Wanting to do something, Despair opened his mouth and asked a question.

"Hey Malefor?" he asked. Malefor turned around and faced him.

"What is it?" Despair thought of something to ask and came up with one.

"Do you know what to call those…things that attacked us last night?" Felix turned around and faced Malefor as well, wanting to know an answer. Malefor looked at the two of them, and sighed.

"Well…from what I have heard from the two of you, and from what I know, I can say…I think I know what it is." said Malefor.

"What are they then?" asked Felix. Malefor approached them and sat near them.

"Well…I can say that they are what they call 'Fear Hounds'." answered Malefor.

"Fear Hounds?" asked the Felix and Despair.

"Yes, Fear Hounds. They're creatures that exist from a far away place. A place I thought didn't exist at first. But the evidence had proven it otherwise. Coming from the name, they also have a slight elemental ability of Fear; thus, the reason why they are rarely encountered at the area they were in. In simpler terms, a dragon gets a sudden fear of the unknown, which forces him/her to divert their path from the path of a Fear Hound. Their Fear element is mostly used as a protection precaution, not an offensive tactic though. They're mostly non violent by nature. Come across one, stray away from its path and you're okay. But…if they ever feel threatened, they _will_ attack; or in other case, if they are hunting.

"Fear Hounds eh? And I thought Predators are bad…" said Despair. Malefor smirked.

"Predators are actually a not so quite distant relative of the Fear Hounds." remarked Malefor. Felix scratched his head.

"Wow…it's just like school." he mumbled to himself.

"Well I _am_ a teacher Felix." said Malefor, sitting up, and puffing his chest out proudly. "I should know this stuff."

Felix nodded, along with Despair chuckling.

The three of them turned around when they heard the sound of steps approaching them. Felix turned around and smiled; along with Despair, a playful grin on his face. Malefor on the other hand just smiled warmly. In front of them, two dragons headed towards them.

It was Nomex…and Josh.

Josh's mind was completely on a different setting now. He had fully decided that he was going to take on this quest. This expedition; this journey of a thousand miles; this adventure that will test his skills, bravery and almost everything about him; he knew that for a fact. And he was prepared, to say the least. He believed in a saying he made himself,

"_As long as you have friends, you're complete." _

Well, he had friends; two friends that will accompany him on this adventure that will no doubt end at a climax, of them taking care of the Portal Flux problems. Or so they planned. Who knows, things might change. But the ending will still be the same; only if it doesn't change.

Josh approached his two companions, a sheepish smile on his face.

"Finally decided eh?" asked Despair.

"What made you come?" asked Felix.

"Well, I couldn't abandon you two. I can't abandon you Despair, you're my best friend. I can't abandon you Felix. You're my best friend's son. And that makes you my best friend. And best friends _stick_ _together…till the end._" he replied, like a well done speech.

"Good to hear that Josh; things are better done when there is a reason to." said Malefor. Nomex approached Malefor and handed him the orb.

"There you go delivery made." she said, smiling at her mate as she stood next to him.

Malefor cleared his throat as the briefing was about to begin.

"Briefing time; what is the purpose of this?" asked Malefor.

"To solve the entire Portal Flux issues." said Felix.

"And how do you do that?" asked Nomex.

"By stopping whatever's causing the Flux in the first place." answered Despair. Malefor nodded.

"And who is plausibly causing this?" asked Malefor.

"A Sorcerer, since he is the only one capable of doing so." said Josh.

"Great job; now, time to tell you where you three are going." said Malefor, and walked over to the pedestal that activates the Portal. "This orb, as you all know, is an orb that enables us to calibrate where the Portal goes. Unlike before, we were limited to only areas within ours, and the Other World. With the help of this, it opens up another world…I do not know the name, but I know it exists as the Portal opens it. Nomex, if you please." Nomex nodded and took the orb from his paws. Walking over to the pedestal, she placed it at the hollow. A dial popped out when it rested. Malefor continued discussing as a small section of the pedestal came to life.

"With the aide of research and determination, I have managed to determine how many worlds are exactly out there. There are 3 worlds; namely, the Dragon Realms, The Other World, and the unknown world. And there coordinates are 1.1, 2.1, and 3.1 respectively." explained Malefor.

"Why are there decimals?" asked Josh.

"Good question; this is why." said Malefor turning around and walking over to the pedestal. Malefor pointed his claw at the section which was glowing and seemed to show glowing Arabic numerals. Malefor turned the dial that popped out earlier and the whole number changed from 1 and ended at 3. He then spun the _other_ dial that was originally there and the decimal changed from 1 and ended at 9.

"The first digit represents the world; which is why it ends at three; the decimal represents the _gate_ you come out. The Portal Caverns is 1.1; we're at _gate_ 1 to the world_ 1_. Some of these gates are destroyed, which is why when you try activating it, it won't open." said Malefor.

"Gate 1 is the _main_ gate to every world; which is why we're sending you there."

"So there are actually _nine_ portals at the Other World?" asked Josh completely surprised.

"Yes. One of them is the archaeological dig site. The others may either be destroyed, or buried deep inside the earth." replied Malefor, tweaking the pedestal.

"And you learned from a book?" asked Felix.

"Numerous books Felix; _numerous_. I actually helped him in doing the research." said Nomex. "You'll be surprise by the amount of _old_ and _broken_ books we have at the library."

"Now, something worth noting." said Malefor, as he turned back around.

"As what Demex told me, there are _time_ differences for each and every world. So be sure to take note of it. From what I could tell, and from what the old books say, this _unknown_ world seems to be in sync with ours." said Malefor with a warm smile.

"That's good to hear." said Despair.

"Good indeed." said Nomex.

"Now, before you all go, I have something important to tell you. Be sure to ask for help from the locals at the world you are in. It's quite obvious you will be lost in a world unknown to you and be quite vulnerable to the forces that exists there." said Malefor.

"Always watch each others backs." said Nomex.

"Don't get separated." added Malefor.

"And whatever you do, try not to get killed." finished Nomex.

Audible gulps from the three were heard clearly.

"Now that everything has been said and done," Malefor turned around and pressed the Portal. Slowly, the portal slowly came to life, hissing and making the air around it move in a familiar wind tunnel like motion. Malefor and Nomex moved to the side and hid behind some rocks, to not let them get sucked in.

"An adventure waits!" shouted Malefor.

Josh looked at his fellow companions; Felix and Despair looked at him equally back, nervousness and uncertainty in their eyes. With a clear nod, Josh took the first step that would begin a journey of a thousand miles.

"Let's do this thing!" exclaimed Josh and he ran forward towards the Portal and jumped through.

"I can't believe I'm doing this!" exclaimed Felix, running after him.

"Me either!" exclaimed Despair as he followed last.

A few moments later, the Portal closed and everything died down. Everything was silent again, and Malefor and Nomex came out.

"May the ancestors watch over you, may they watch over us all." he said ominously.

0 0 0 0 0

Josh felt the oddest sensation he ever felt. The sensation can only be described as if something were pulling you forward in different directions; all at the same time, making him feel weightless. It felt like he was being squeezed through a small rubber tube. He was beginning to suffocate as he realized he couldn't breathe. To top it off, he was blinded temporarily by the flash. Just as quickly as the sensations began, it disappeared. He felt the 'pulling' disappear and was replaced by gravity. The next thing he knew, his body collided with something hard, making a loud _thud_. He opened his eyes, dazed slightly by the experience. He was about to stand up when all of a sudden, somebody landed on top of him, making him hit his head on the surface.

"_Ow…_" he groaned in pain as his head began to throb from being hit. "Get off…"

"Sorry..." groaned the voice which he realized as Despair. Despair was about to get off when another mass landed on top of the two of them, sandwiching Josh at the bottom.

"_Ow…_" he moaned in pain.

"Sorry." said Felix.

* * *

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	24. Chapter 24 Haze of Confusion

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: I'm sorry for the late update but here is the update nonetheless!**

**Alec: This seems rushed.**

**Richer: Yeah, Zayril has been busy lately.**

**Felix: Very busy indeed.**

**Spirit: Well, let's not get the readers waiting.**

**Nomex: Time for the disclaimers!**

**Alec, Felix**** and Spirit: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Nomex: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair**

* * *

Chapter 24

Haze of Confusion

"Where are we?" asked Josh as he stood up and looked around. They were in a thick forest, surrounded by nothing but trees. Trees everywhere Josh looked. Turning around, he saw Felix and Despair get their bearings as well and examine their surrounding. He saw that they had come out of a thick rock face.

There was a pedestal at the side, covered with moss and foliage. A green orb noticeable on top of it; situated next to it was a sculpture, that seemed to have been made by nature, jutting out of the thick rock before them, forming an arc. He realized that this must be the Portal.

"I don't know." said Despair. "And that's slightly bothering." he said, looking around, trying to get a hold on things.

"Wow…this place…reminds me of—"began Felix.

"The Dragon Realms." interrupted Josh.

"Yeah." said Felix, looking at Josh. "I thought this…._Unknown_ world would be…different. I guess I was wrong."

"You might want to take that back." said Despair looking up.

"Why?" asked Felix. Despair pointed up and the two looked accordingly.

Up above them were the leaves of the trees around them. What stood out the most was that _some_ of the trees had _pink_ leaves. Pinkish leaves that were brimming and glowing with health, metaphorically, and were swaying lazily as a cool breeze swept over them. The three looked at them for a few moments, silence being shared equally and raised eyebrows were their reactions.

"I take that back." said Felix. Despair nodded.

"I guess look before you say." said Josh. Though, he couldn't help but feel as if he had seen this scenery before.

"I guess we should move out. We can't stray from the mission." said Despair.

"Agreed." said Felix and Josh.

The three then headed out, Josh up front, Despair covering their six whilst Felix was in the middle and feasting his eyes with the scenery. It was his first time seeing such things and it fascinated him.

The path that the group used was, well, there wasn't even a path. They just made one. It was obvious that wherever this Gate was located, it wasn't a known location to the locals.

"We've been marching for what seemed like hours now and no sign of civilization whatsoever. Makes you really wonder where we are." Felix voiced his concern.

"Yeah; and what bothers me also is that there's no sign of…life." Despair voiced ominously. "No animals…"

"That bothers me as well. Let's just keep our nerve and try not to scare ourselves." said Josh, already loosing a nerve himself.

The trio kept on walking, taking note of landmarks as well. The Portal was located at the thick rock face. In order to get there, they noted that you should look for a set of trees that seemed to bend around each other, making it seemed that they were intertwined.

Once you see that, head north a few feet away and follow the series of giant scattered rocks that are covered with moss to arrive at the thick rock face. And Josh memorized this by heart. He didn't want to get lost forever in this _Unknown _World.

Moving onwards, they saw that the forest seem to disperse and the trees part. Up ahead, a path was visible, and by the looks of it, it was commonly traveled upon. And by sheer luck, a sign post was posted there.

"Thank goodness." said Despair, as they got out of the forest and into the path. Felix headed up to the sign and tried to read it.

"What does it say?" asked Josh, approaching the two.

"I can't read it." said Felix, cocking his head from side to side, to try and get a decent angle to understand the text.

"What?" Josh asked, looking at Felix.

"I _can't_ read it." said Felix looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"Let me see." said Despair, looking at the sign himself.

It was obvious why Felix couldn't read it. The sign looked weathered and the text itself was barely readable. In closer inspection, some of the text was no longer readable, making the sign itself basically useless. Whatever this sign was, its shelf life had expired.

"Well that's just great," said Josh, sighing as their hope getting their sense of location was gone.

"Let's not loose hope. There's always something," said Despair.

And apparently, Despair was right. There was always something. And something did pop up.

_BOOM!_

"Whoa!" exclaimed Josh, looking around wildly. "What in the world! Something exploded!" he exclaimed.

"What!" exclaimed Despair looking around as well.

"There! Over there!" shouted Felix, pointing up at the sky.

The three looked up and saw a column of black smoke forming at the distance. It was quite clear what this signified. There was fire somewhere, or at least it seemed. Whatever the case, something _had_ exploded and is causing smoke. That would translate to someone being in trouble.

And this was the conclusion the three of them came to.

"Move out!" exclaimed Josh, and the three of them soon ran out, heading to the direction of the forest.

As the three of them rushed, their surroundings slowly changed and walls that resembled the Temple walls back at the Dragon Realms, appeared. Felix noticed this but in the heat of the moment, just took note of it. Despair ran out front and was surprised to hear something amiss.

"HELP! _HELP!" _yelled a voice frantically.

"Someone's in trouble!" yelled Despair and ran forward. But Josh saw something heading toward them, and it was _fast_.

"Despair watch out!" shouted Josh but it was too late.

"Huh? _OOF!_" Despair grunted loudly as a careening mass collided with him.

The two of them toppled down the ground, dragon and…something. Josh couldn't recognize whatever it was in front of him. The being looked like…a shifty being, which appeared to him as a thief. To top if off, he was wearing a brown hat on his head. He even had an egg in his arms. And his eyes widen when he recognized it. It was a dragon egg!

"THIEF!" yelled another voice. They looked ahead and saw a…dragon. The three of them visibly felt relieved. At least they were in a dragon world! But as the dragon…or dragoness came closer, they recognized that she was wearing...an _apron_?

"What in the world?" Josh asked under his breath.

"Thank you! Thank you for stopping the thief! Oh how I could ever—"she stopped in her speech when she looked at the three of them. Look of horror washed over her face.

"It's no big deal." said Despair looking at her.

And after that, it seemed like everything became more confusing.

The dragoness shouted in sheer fright, completely getting all three of them off guard. Felix jumped like a cat, whilst Josh had his eyes wide, surprised at the reaction they had gotten. For a moment back there, everything seemed alright. But now…the mood changed and she was hysterical.

"What's wrong!" exclaimed Despair, trying to help her, whatever her problem was.

"Get away from me!" she exclaimed and yanked the egg from the Egg Thief's hand.

She then ran away from the three of them, shouting and yelling "He's back!"

A moment's silence was shared between the three.

And the ice was broken when Josh spoke, a few seconds later.

"What in the _world_ just happened?" he asked, completely confused on how things were turning out.

"I…don't know," Felix said completely and utterly confused now.

"I'm not even going to say anything," said Despair, still in shock that the dragoness screamed in terror when she saw his face.

Was there something on his face? Last time he checked nothing was there.

"Nonetheless, the goal still stands. We have to check that explosion out," said Felix looking at the direction from where the billowing smokes were coming from.

"Affirmative," Josh nodded.

"Let's head out," said Despair.

After that…odd encounter, the three started to run again, heading towards to where they had heard the explosion.

0 0 0 0 0

The trio headed down the path and slowly came up what seemed like a large open area. It was quite clear to where the smoke was coming from. It seemed that it had come from what seemed like an odd looking…machinery. Josh couldn't believe what he was seeing. He was seeing…a machine. Or what seemed like a machine.

How was that even possible?

Machines existing at a fantasy reality where dragons existed was just seemingly improbable. But it wasn't. And right in front of him was the proof. And yet somehow…this place…gave him…the sense…dare he say it, _nostalgia_.

_Why does this place seem familiar?_ He asked himself.

He looked at Despair and Felix and saw the two of them looking at the odd piece of equipment in front of them. Of course, no doubt, this would be the first time they had seen this kind of thing. It would be completely alien to them.

And as if to prove Josh's theory, Felix asked a question.

"Josh, what is that?" he asked, a sense of fear in his voice but not that noticeable.

"That…is…a machine," Josh replied.

"What's a machine?" asked Despair.

"It's a…hmm…"

Josh stumbled on his mind, trying to think of the best way to explain what a common human thing was. It was making his mind go overdrive; _literally_.

Everything was completely weird; and as if things weren't that weird enough, something happened that kicked it up a notch.

"Hey! You three!" exclaimed a voice from behind them. All three turned around to look and the color drained from their faces.

"Would you mind helping us?" asked the dragon that approached them.

Standing in front of them…was…_Spyro_.

* * *

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	25. Chapter 25 Every Clue Matters

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Hey Guys! Another chapter update!**

**Felix: YEY!**

**Richer: This is great.**

**Alec: Wow...that is...wow.**

**Felix: Enough with the talk, disclaimer time!**

**Alec and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair**

* * *

Chapter 25

Every Clue Matters

Josh's mind was completely on overdrive now as everything he knew turned upside down. What in the world was Spyro doing here? What was he doing in this _unknown_ world that they have arrived into? Why was he acting all strange? Why was he acting in a manner that he apparently doesn't seemed to know who they are? Questions buzzed haphazardly inside his mind, wanting desperately to be answered. It seemed like every corner they turned had more questions than answers. And sometimes, questions on the corner's corner as well.

"…Spyro?" Despair asked baffled. Felix on the other hand just had his maw open, gaping widely, and an unfathomable expression on his face.

And as if things couldn't get any weirder anymore, it just did.

Spyro approached the three of them and suddenly stopped in his tracks. A number of expressions crossed his face; surprise, shock, fear, anger and lastly…fury; in that order. Felix's expression on the other hand changed to fear as he saw Spyro's expression. He slowly then backed away, going to Josh's side. He was a brave dragon. But he knew the right time to have fear.

"Uh…Josh…" He said, as he started backing away. Despair on the other hand was struck with fear as he Spyro look at him a deadly stare. If looks could kill, he was already dead seconds ago.

"What in the world is going on?" asked Josh backing away as well.

Despair slowly started backing away as they saw the legendary purple dragon stalk them like prey.

"Ditto…" He said, gulping.

"_You…_" muttered Spyro under his breath, his expression apparently fixed on Despair. "I don't know how you lived through that, but I don't care. I am just going to do it again, even if it's the last thing I do."

"What is he talking about!" asked Felix.

"I don't know!" exclaimed Despair. Apparently Spyro heard this.

"Playing dumb are we?" He then spat some saliva at the side before continuing. "You won't be until I'm through with _YOU!_"

Then all hell broke loose.

Spyro suddenly unleashed at the three of them three large fireballs fired one after the other.

"_RUN!_" exclaimed Josh then dive rolled out of the way. Felix on the other hand was fear struck and couldn't move. Luckily Despair was at his side and quickly pushed him out of the way with the help of his tail. The fireballs hit a wall, rock fragments flying everywhere.

"Go with Josh Felix!" yelled Despair. "He's not after you! He's after me!" Then he ran away from the two of them as Spyro gave chase.

"You're not getting away from me! Get back here!" He then lobbed fireballs again, doing the same technique Felix used when he fought that Fear Hound.

Felix ran as fast as he could and went over to Josh who was hiding behind a tree.

"What in the world is going on!" asked Felix as he turned around and examined the fight before them.

Despair was running around widely in the area, dodging and avoiding Spyro's attacks, whom slowly got frustrated. The entire area around them was literally destroyed in seconds, like a humongous battle had started here. The Temple walls were smashed to smithereens, having gaping holes in them. The grass was burned to nothing but a crisp as the fireballs grazed over them as well.

"I don't know! But if we don't stop Spyro he'll destroy this entire area before we know it!" exclaimed Josh.

"Agreed! But how do you intend we do that?" Then Felix ducked as a rock fragment came whizzing above his head, whom just turned to dust when it hit a tree.

"Just…just…injure him!" said Josh, trying to think strategically.

And so they did. But…of course, plans newly hatched have a tendency to fall from the nest.

They were about to run out their and charge at Spyro when all of a sudden something hit Josh in the head. He fell down the ground completely unconscious. Felix gasped and saw it was an orb like material that was glowing. He turned his head and his eyes widened.

"_No!_"

Before he knew it, he was struck and his eyesight faded into nothing but darkness.

0 0 0 0 0

Pain.

Pain was the first thing Josh felt when he slowly regained his senses.

Warmth.

It was the second thing that registered as he felt something warm placed up near him. He opened his eyes and saw nothing but darkness. They still needed to readjust. As it did so, his mind suddenly flooded itself with the recent memories of what had happened; Spyro attacking them; Despair running around widely, trying to live; Felix with him; then to him passing out.

He bolted upright on his four paws so fast, he felt dizzy. Felix! What had happened to Felix! He was equally worried about Despair but Felix was much of a concern seeing as he was just a child; as he stood up, the mass that was on top of him, rolled to the ground with a _thud_, accompanied by a groan.

He turned around and sighed, a sigh of relief. There was Felix beside him, unharmed.

He checked over him and sense that he was still breathing. Good, at least he wasn't hurt or anything. Then, that was the time he took the time to check his bearings. He looked around and saw that they were in a metallic cage, inside a dark cave, seeing as they could see the outside mouth of the cave. It was pretty barren, and the only source of light was from a hole on top of them, making it seem like a spotlight, and from the mouth cave.

He sighed and lied down. He needed to think.

They had just arrived at this _Unknown_ world and they seemed to have been thrown into a whirlwind of confusion. From how things were, it felt impossible to see through the haze of confusion that was set before them. He just hoped that Despair was alright, and they managed to get through this mission alive.

Then his train of thought stopped when Felix woke up with a grunt.

"_Uh…_my head…" he groaned, sitting up." Josh smiled.

"You're awake." He nodded and sat beside him. It took Felix a few moments to regain his composure then his memories came back.

"Where's Despair!" he suddenly exclaimed.

Josh looked at him flatly. "I don't know."

"Well this is just great." Felix rested his head on the cage wall.

"Ditto," said Josh.

There was a silence between the two and as if on cue, they heard voices outside. It was coming from the mouth of the cave.

"Hear that?" asked Josh, perking up.

"Yeah." said Felix.

The two strained their ears to hear the conversation between the two. And when they heard it, expressions of shock came across their faces. One of the voices sounded somewhat familiar, but at the same time alien. It was quite weird. The other was completely different for Felix but Josh felt like he had heard this voice before.

"What are we going to do about him?" asked a female voice.

"I don't know, but I do know this. If he survived, it's for sure that his Master survived as well." replied the male voice.

"But Hunter, what are we going to do about the other two? He wasn't the type to have minions with him? Plus, he…_seems_ different." said the female voice.

Hunter sighed. "I know. I sense it too. In the case of his companions, my first impression is that, they're not evil."

"I as well." said the female voice.

"That's why we're here. Interrogation time; ready for this Bianca?" asked Hunter.

"I'm always ready Hunter." replied the being that was named Bianca.

"Wait, I think I forgot something." said Bianca. "Wait for me."

Then the two of them heard footsteps. Bianca left.

Josh's eyes widened as the names of the people talking registered in his mind. Hunter…Hunter the Cheetah. What in the _world_! Now Hunter was in this world too? Plus…Bianca…that name resounded in his mind and felt familiar. He had seen that name before but where? _Where?_ He jogged his mind so badly he felt like he would have a headache.

Everything seemed to have been falling apart…but now…it seemed like it wasn't. The clues were all there. Spyro…Hunter…Bianca…where have he seen this compilations of names before? He knew it existed somewhere deep inside his mind. Along with the names, the locations too; the pink leaves on the trees…the dragoness wearing an apron…the egg thief. It seemed like it was right in front of him, yet he still didn't get it.

"The egg…the thief…Hunter…Bianca…Spyro…the apron…" he mumbled to himself, trying to find something among the name of things he mentioned.

"Is that Hunter, _the _Hunter we know?" Felix asked, trying to understand what was laid out in front of them.

For a moment, Josh pondered on it. Was it the same Hunter? And this led to an even bigger question. Was the Spyro they fought the Spyro _they _knew? Was it even him? All the clues pointed to the fact that it wasn't him. If Spyro knew them, he wouldn't attack like that.

"…No." he replied.

Felix sighed and flicked his tail as he tried to think.

Absentmindedly Josh's eyes wandered to Felix's tail. Since he had nothing to look at, he just fancied to follow the motion of Felix's tail with his eyes as he thought.

"What does it all have in common…" he thought to himself.

_Flick…_

_Flick…_

_Flick…_

"…tail…tail…_tail_…" he mumbled to himself, his eyes slowly widening. Felix stopped flicking his tail and looked at Josh.

"What is it?" he asked.

Josh gasped as the memories flooded into him. He felt a light bulb light inside him as the memories connected themselves, making a chain of memories, leading him to the memory he needed to access.

He looked at Felix with a smile. "_A Hero's Tail_."

* * *

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	26. Chapter 26 A Past Worth Noting

**~Backstage~**

**Alec: This one seems to be a day late!**

**Zayril: I know! I rushed in typing this.**

**Felix: Why?**

**Richer: He was having technical problems.**

**Zayril: Yeah. And because I was rushing, I didn't have time to proof read. Please excuse some grammar errors. Anyways, disclaimers!**

**Alec and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair**

* * *

Chapter 26

A Past Worth Noting

"_What?_" was the question Felix asked right after Josh said the three words. "What in the world are you talking about? Please start talking some sense before I lose my sanity."

"I'm sorry, it's just—"

Then he was cut off when in came in two beings. Josh wasn't surprised to see them. He already knew them prior. Felix on the other hand was shocked as heck to find a cheetah he knew to be _here, _in the Unknown world. Said cheetah was standing before the two of them, wearing something Josh recognized. Hunter wore his trademark green leather strap with a quiver on his back and his bow, and stood proudly in front of them.

Bianca, who was next to him eyeing the two; she wore her trademark magical clothes. Complete with cape and boots. Seeing the two, Josh was struck with a _big_ sense of nostalgia. Who wouldn't?

Felix on the other hand was somewhat struck with fear as he didn't exactly know if these two will give them harm. Josh already knew the answer. And in knowing, he was relaxed and was prepared for their interrogation.

"Hello you two," began Hunter.

"Greetings," replied Josh. "You're Hunter the Cheetah and you're Bianca, the Rabbit Sorcerer. Am I correct?"

The reply wasn't something Hunter and Bianca expected. Of course, they didn't exactly know who these two were to begin with, so who wouldn't be surprised if someone knew your name. Felix on the other hand looked at Josh, completely surprised. How on earth did he know so much about strangers in another world? He expected an explanation from him later on.

"Y-yes…how did you know that?" asked Hunter curiously. Bianca on the other hand just raised an eyebrow, expecting Josh to reply and answer Hunter's question.

"First of all, I am Josh, and this is my companion, Felix. Secondly, I know a lot about you two." Hunter smirked and called out his bluff.

"Like what?" Felix saw Josh smirk back at Hunter.

"Like, you're a skateboarder; you Scuba dive, yet you don't like water, and I quote 'It's a cat thing.'" Josh finished with a smile on his face.

Hunter was visibly shocked; even Bianca herself.

Hunter didn't know this dragon, nor met him in his _entire_ life until now, yet he knows _so much_ about him. How was that even possible? It's like he was reading his mind. He looked at Bianca, and as if she knew the conclusion he came to, she replied,

"No. He's not. I cannot sense anything."

Hunter looked at him with new profound interest. "Who _are _you?"

Josh smirked. "I'm Josh. And we come in peace," he finished with a smile.

Bianca stepped forward this time with Hunter lost in his thoughts, and letting her takeover for now.

"Okay then Josh. I am going to ask you a series of simple questions and this will determine what will happen to the two of you," said Bianca, scrutinizing the two of them.

"Hit me with your best shot," challenged Josh, knowing full well what Bianca's question was. Felix just looked at Josh hopefully, hoping he wouldn't mess up.

"Okay then. Are you evil?" asked Bianca simply.

Felix looked at Josh and saw that he sighed and looked at her simply. At least Josh had confidence.

"No. I am not. And Felix here too isn't evil," he replied flatly. Bianca stared for a moment then continued.

"How do you know Despair?" she asked. "What is he to you?"

"Well, he's our best friend!" exclaimed Felix all of a sudden. "You have to let him go, he didn't do anything! It was…Spyro that started attacking him!"

Bianca had a noticeable raise of eyebrow but her expression changed quickly back to unfathomable.

For a moment, silence was shared between the two parties. Hunter looked at Bianca with an unfathomable expression, seemingly waiting for her response. Felix on the other hand was filled with nervous anticipation.

"I give up," said Bianca throwing her paws in the air.

"What? What happened? What was the conclusion?" exclaimed Hunter. Bianca looked at him, and before Josh knew it the two of them exited the cave, with Bianca looking all the more unfathomable with her expression.

After a moment silence, the ice was broken when Felix spoke.

"So…care to explain what happened?" asked Felix. Josh turned his head towards him then smiled.

"Gladly."

0 0 0 0 0

Felix's mind went overdrive when Josh began explaining to him how he knew so much about Hunter and Bianca. He didn't understand any of it, to be honest, because…Josh's explanation wasn't pretty much explanatory. His explanation was,

"Let's just say I know them from somewhere else."

Felix just nodded, leaving it to trust on Josh.

"So what do we do now?" asked Felix.

"We wait," replied Josh, lying down. "They'll come back. I know they will."

0 0 0 0 0

"What happened back there?" Hunter asked, as the two of them stood outside of the cave.

"I can't believe it," replied Bianca.  
"What?" Hunter asked, getting more frustrated. "Talk to me Bianca!" He then placed his paws on her shoulder and began shaking the bunny vigorously.

"_What!_" exclaimed Bianca, throwing his paws off. Hunter rolled his eyes.

"Now that you're back down to reality, mind telling what happened?" he asked again.

Bianca sighed then explained what she had found out to him.

"You know my ability of being able to detect lies right?" she asked him. Hunter nodded. "Remember what I asked him?"

"Yeah…it was about him being evil or not," replied Hunter. Then he gasped, understand her point.

"You see? He wasn't lying. The two of them are clean." Hunter put on a thinking face.

"If that is the case, and it seems it is, then how about Despair? Why is he with them?" Bianca sighed.  
"I don't know. But what I do know is that they know the answer. We have to let them go and explain everything to us. Maybe then we'll understand what's going on. And in return, explain everything to them. They seem to not know Despair's true identity."

Hunter nodded, looking back inside the cave. He could see the faint outline of the two dragons inside the cage.

"Yeah, it's quite obvious that they don't know just how _dangerous_ and _deadly_ Despair is."

"'Was' Hunter. 'Was'," corrected Bianca.

"Oh sorry; I forgot."

0 0 0 0 0

Just like Josh predicted, no sooner than the two have left, Bianca and Hunter came back.

"What do you want now?" asked Felix.

He was ignored by the two of them, and Hunter approached, a key in his paw. Felix's eyes widened, whilst Josh just smiled. With a few clicks and turn, the door to their cage opened and they were free to go.

"You're letting us go?" asked Felix, trying to wrap his mind around what was happening. "And…why?"

Hunter sighed, whilst Josh and Felix stepped out.

"It would seem that you two aren't really here for trouble. We're sorry for our treatment to you two and we hope you accept our apology," said Bianca.

"Apology accepted," replied Josh.

"Let's talk the walk," said Bianca motioning them to follow her. The two obediently followed.

"Now let's get down to business. So you say that Despair is your friend?" asked Hunter as they walked.

"Yes," replied the two of them.

"And you're sure he's not evil?"

"Yes," the two of them nodded.

"I find that hard to believe."

"There are a lot of things that are hard to believe once you hear about the three of us," said Josh with a smirk.

"Where are we going anyway?" asked Felix.

"Were taking you to the Professor; he'll help us explain things to you. And with cooperation with you two, you can tell us what's also going on."

0 0 0 0 0

Before the two knew it, they had arrived at a large spacious room, with technology blinking all around them. Of course Felix felt alien to his surrounding but was still curious all the same. Josh on the other hand felt nostalgic as he saw this room before when he was playing _A Hero's Tail_. He was in the room where Spyro talks to the Professor in the first part of the game.

Standing in front of a large computer was the Professor himself. Wearing his trademark white cloths and carrying a clipboard. He was mole, meaning he was small. And small he was. Compared to Josh who was an adult dragon, not a teen, he towered over him.

"Professor, these are the two we were talking about. Josh and Felix," said Bianca approaching the Professor. He turned around and faced the two dragons, scrutinizing them.

"Hello you two, I am the Professor. You two must be Josh and Felix," he greeted fixing his glasses and approaching them.

"Yes we are," replied Josh.

"I am afraid we have to have a little talk. Your arrival here with a certain someone has kept us on edge and it is best that you explain to us why you're here in the first place." Josh was a bit surprised with his bluntness, but nonetheless appreciated it.

"We understand. Is this certain someone Despair?" asked Felix.

"Yes. Despair," said the Professor putting down his clipboard at a table. Hunter was standing idly at the side of the Professor, looking at two of them again. Bianca on the other hand was busy looking at one of the monitors of the computer."

"Despair is our friend, and we're surprised that Spyro had attacked him. Please, care to tell us why?" asked Josh, wanting to know about Despair's history here.

But before the Professor could talk again, one of the monitors Bianca was looking at suddenly blinked.

"Professor!" she said turning around to face them, a horrified expression on her face. "He truly is back." The Professor's eyes widened completely and then he turned back to face Josh and Felix.

"You're arrival is quite coincidental. We have a lot to talk about. Let us begin with Despair—"but he was cut off when Josh suddenly blurted out, "Who's back?" out of curiosity.

"Well Josh, the Sorcerer is back. He seems to have survived."

* * *

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	27. Chapter 27 Renewed Title

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Hey guys, sorry for the late update.**

**Richer: What happened?**

**Alec: He was just rather busy. You know with everything.**

**Felix: You're always busy!**

**Despair: Because he's like that, and that's the way it is.**

**Josh: If you only know how many things he's doing right now!**

**Zayril: Well that's enough. Time for the disclaimers.**

**Alec, Josh and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Despair: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair**

* * *

Chapter 27

Renewed Title

"Sorcerer?" asked Felix, looking at Josh. Josh got the idea and took note of it as the Professor started talking again.

"Yes. The Sorcerer; you see, the main reason why Spyro attacked Despair is that, Despair is…the…right hand dragon of the Sorcerer," he said ominously.

Josh's and Felix's jaws dropped. If it were possible to be dropped to the floor, it would have been there already. Josh was expecting that Despair might have been a wanted criminal in _this_ world, but _the right hand dragon_! That was something else. He just realized how much he didn't know about his black scaled dragon friend. Everything he knew about him seemed to shift in a new profound direction; and then…he realized something. Something he should have realized before.

**~FLASHBACK~**

**Time Frame: Chapter 13, Reprieve**

"So Despair's the name eh?" asked Josh. The black dragon nodded.

"Nice name." he replied, trying to start a conversation.

"Same with you." he replied, smiling.

"So you really can't **remembe**r **anything**?" asked Josh. Despair nodded sadly.

"I try my best…but it **just fizzles**." he answered. Josh patted him at the back.

"Don't worry. You'll **remember** it soon." he replied

0 0 0 0 0

"Do you think I'll ever get my **memory** back?" asked Despair.

"That..." began Josh.

He sighed. Despair _was_ an **amnesiac**. And **amnesia** had its on **cases and methods** for each on getting their **memory back**. And the methods he knew wouldn't seem to work on the** circumstances** right now. "…I guess so. But don't try to **remember** **too hard **Despair." he told him.

**~END FLASHBACK~**

"…Amnesia…," he said, thinking out loud.

"What was that?" asked the Professor. Josh looked at Felix then to the Professor. Hunter and Bianca visibly moved in close to hear what Josh had to say.

"I think I know why Despair suddenly changed Professor. Because you say he is a bad dragon yet to us, he is a friend. I think I know why he suddenly shifted." The Professor raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?" Josh sighed then answered.

"He developed amnesia." Felix snapped his claws.

"Oh right! I remember now! Despair developed amnesia! He even told us this!" said Felix.

"Interesting," said the Professor under his breath. "I have never considered that as an option. But now…it seems…like it's the only probable answer." Hunter scratched his head and spoke this time.

"So you're saying, the reason why Despair is like what he is now is because he forgot about his past self? Like everything?" Josh nodded.  
"So that's why when I interrogated him earlier…he kept saying he didn't know anything," mumbled Bianca to herself. Felix heard this and turned to face her.

"Where is he now?" asked Felix.

"He's at a holding cell. Do you want to see him?" asked the Professor.

"Yes please," replied the two almost excitedly.

"But Josh, we need information first. It's best that all of us here are at the same page," said the Professor. Hunter and Bianca nodded and stood behind the Professor.

"Understandable," replied Felix.

"Yes, everything _is_ a bit confusing," said Bianca. "Let's start off somewhere easy. Where do you guys come from?"

"Well….we come from the Dragon Realms," answered Josh. "It's a world the same as yours, only slightly different?" The Professor, Hunter and Bianca's eyebrows all rose at the same time.

"_What_?" They all asked at the same time.

"How is that even possible?" asked Hunter.

"_Our_ world is called the Dragon Realms too," added Bianca.

0 0 0 0 0

What soon followed after was a lengthy discussion of questions asked and answered. It turned out that the world Josh and Felix were in was called, _Dragon Realms_, as well. The situation they were in presented a…double like scenario. It would seem that the Dragon Realms they were from, the one with the TLOS Universe coexists with the STD Universe Dragon Realms. All linked because of the Portals. It was like a Portal to the past…and future of the game.

To Josh, this was no surprise but for Felix, this just added more confusion. Having knowledge of why it was called this way, Josh summed it up for the two confused parties.

"It would seem our world exists in parallel with yours. To avoid confusion, let's just say our world or universe is called, _Neo _Dragon Realms; whilst yours is called _Paleo_-Dragon Realms." Everyone nodded in the room; if only they understood why it was called that way.

"Fascinating; worlds coexisting; I have always thought that the Portal system used here at the Paleo Dragon Realms were just the basics. Frankly, I was right." Bianca nodded.

"So how many worlds are there?" Josh looked at her then replied.

"About 3; one being the world we are in now; the other _our_ world; and the third one, namely The Other World."

Luckily, everyone was thinking quite deeply at that moment and didn't catch on when Josh mentioned the Other World. Felix just smirked.

"So in your world, a counterpart of me exists?" asked Hunter.

"Well…yeah. A few of the beings here at Paleo Dragon Realms have counterparts at the Neo Dragon Realms; namely you Hunter, Sparx and Spyro," Josh answered.

"Amazing…simply astonishing; it's like the Neo Dragon Realms is an alternate version of the Paleo Dragon Realms," said the Professor.

"Exactly," said Josh, relieved that they finally caught on at how things were going on.

"So can we see Despair now?" asked Felix. "We'll help you with this Sorcerer guy because he's been causing trouble at our world too. That's why we're here." The Professor nodded.

"We'll delve into this matter again later; but for now, I understand your need to see Despair. Hunter, if you would escort them." Hunter nodded.

"Follow me."

0 0 0 0 0

The trio went down the hallways of the structure they were in and soon came into another room with a cage in the middle. Someone was walking around the cage, as if he were a guard. That someone was actually a mole.

_Blink?_ Josh thought to himself, looking at the mole closely.

"Blink!" shouted Hunter as they approached. Blink looked up and approached them.

Well…he wasn't wrong.

This was _the_ Blink he knew. His weaponry consisted of Blink bombs which were placed in his utility belt and two laser-cannons which were connected to his gloves; along with his trademark goggles. He was still wearing his big yellow shoes as always.

But Josh had this _nagging_ feeling that something was wrong with the picture in front of him. Specifically, something about Blink; he couldn't put a claw on it but it was there and was gnawing on the back of his mind. Felix on the other hand just stared with curiosity at the mole's equipment.

"How's Despair Blink?" asked Hunter as he approached the mole.

"Sleeping; he's been asleep for this entire time. He must have been knocked out quite badly," he replied. "Are these two his companions?"

"Yup; this is Josh and that is Felix," introduced Hunter. "And Blink, I think you need to talk to the Professor; to get yourself up to speed." He nodded then headed out.

After he left, Hunter approached the cage and began unlocking it. At this point, what was bugging Josh's mind finally showed itself and he decided to ask Hunter to get him some answers.

"Hey Hunter?" he asked.

"Hm?" Hunter asked.

"I thought….Blink had a…'Fresh-air-a-phobia'? What's he doing above ground?" asked Josh.

"Puberty happened. He got over it. He's a late bloomer," replied Hunter with a smirk.

"Puberty?" asked Felix, not really knowing the word quite well.

"Yup; people change once you go to that stage," answered Hunter.

"Um…Josh, what's puberty?" asked Felix.

"Uh…," said Josh, not really knowing where to go in _that_ subject. Felix wasn't really at _that_ age yet to understand something like that. Of course, he _was _only 11 years old.

"Maybe some other time; now's not really…a good time Felix," replied Josh.

Yeah, it was true, now really wasn't a good time to discuss something that is…personal.

And at the moment the cage door opened was Despair stirred. He woke up with a stiff yawn, and his joints noticeably cracked. Felix saw this and called out to him.

"Despair! Wake up! It's me Felix!" he shouted at him to try and wake him up further.

"…Felix…?" he asked, looking towards the sound of the voice.

At that moment, Felix ran over to him and hugged him, rocking the cage a little. Despair was a bit shocked, and noticeably grunted as a part of his body stung when Felix's paw brushed over it.

"Sorry about that. It would seem Spyro managed to burn you," said Hunter, explaining his recent pain.

And then, that was the time Despair's memory of what had happened came back to him; running away from Spyro and then eventually getting hit by a fireball, knocking him out cold.

"Where am I? Felix, where's Josh!" he exclaimed, looking around. Felix let go and moved to the side so he can see Josh.  
"Right here," said Josh approaching him. He visibly calmed down, as he saw his friend in sight. But he didn't let his guard down when he saw Hunter.

"No need to guard. I am a friend," said Hunter, noticing his wariness.

"What's going on Josh? Why am I in a cage? And why do I see Hunter in front of me without his robes?" asked Despair.

"I wear robes at the Neo Dragon Realms….?" Hunter asked himself. "That's….a great idea."

"Ignore him. Despair, we need you to get you up to speed," said Josh.

"Come on, you have to see the Professor too!" said Felix.

"Okay…" said Despair, not really knowing what was going on. He just needed to play along for a little while.

* * *

**Author's Notes: To all my readers:**

**Can you guys guess why it was called Neo and Paleo?**

**

* * *

Please take some time to R&R.**

**Please take some time to visit the website.**

**And favorite it, along with the author.**


	28. Chapter 28 Conundrum

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: So sorry guys for this late update!**

**Richer: What happened?**

**Alec: He was...busy.**

**Josh: Busy?**

**Felix: Very busy.**

**Despair: Well enough about that! I want to read what happens next!**

**Zayril: Okay then! Disclaimers!**

**Alec, Josh and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Despair: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair**

* * *

Chapter 28

Conundrum

"WHAT!" exclaimed Despair.

Despair was in a deep state of shock when the revelation of who he was, was finally revealed to him. It felt like his entire crumbled under the sheer animosity of it all. He couldn't believe the fact that he was really a bad dragon back then; him being "The Terror of the Skies"; him killing innocent beings and somewhat enjoyed it. He despised himself; or…his _old_ self.

"Rest assured, Despair is completely evil-free," said Josh. "And I can vouch for that."

"I, too, can vouch for that." Felix raised his paw.

"And the three of us believe you. The Despair _we _know acts completely different from the Despair we see _now_," replied Hunter.

"I can't believe it. Was I really what you told me back then? A bad dragon?" asked Despair.

Everyone nodded.

"Well enough pondering on things already pondered. Let us move onto a much more interesting topic. Why are you three here?" asked the Professor to Josh, Felix and Despair.

"We already told you. We're here because of the Sorcerer," replied Josh.

"You never told us why," asked Bianca, raising an eyebrow.

"It's because of what your Sorcerer is doing. He is causing Portal Fluxes at our world," answered Despair.

"And what are these _Portal Fluxes_?" asked Hunter.

…And soon, another lengthy discussion of questions and answers were transferred back and forth between the two parties. Hunter, Bianca and the Professor were soon caught up to speed about the happening of things. About everything involving the Sorcerer and the effects of the things he's been doing here.

"So he is messing with the Portals, or the Portal Magic to be specific, to do what?" asked Hunter.

"That we do not know. But whatever he wants to achieve with the Portal Magic, it's giving bad side effects in our worlds. Thus the Portal Fluxes," answered Felix.

"I think he's using the Portal Magic to power the…" trailed Bianca.

"To do what?" asked Felix.

"Don't keep us hanging!" exclaimed Despair.

"…Third Shadow Amplifier," said Josh with wide eyed eyes.

Everyone stared at him at that moment.

"How do you exactly know—"but Hunter was cut off.

A loud rumbling noise could be heard outside accompanied by a strong _whooshing_ sound.

Josh's mind tingled as he remembered quite clearly what that _whooshing_ sound meant. It can only mean one thing.

"AH!" exclaimed a voice from outside, accompanied by sounds of a fight.

"What's going on!" exclaimed Bianca.

"There's been a Portal Flux! Hurry we have to go outside!" exclaimed Josh, turning around and running as fast as he can.

From the sound of the scream, it sounded like it was Blink. It seemed he was fighting…something outside; something that was teleported by the Portal Flux. Josh had a vague idea of what it was, but only hope it wasn't what he was thinking. Bianca and Hunter immediately followed after the trio whilst the professor stayed behind.

0 0 0 0 0

Arriving outside, Josh was greeted with the thing he didn't like seeing. Apparently, his hunch was right. The surroundings in front of him all seemed burnt as Blink Bombs seemed to have exploded. The trees all over the area were left with ash as scattered fires of Blink's lasers shot everywhere. And to top it off, it would seem that the fight wasn't over yet. Up ahead of them, they could see Blink firing his laser at a Pack of Fear Hounds.

This was going to get messy.

And just before anything else happened, an explosion exploded from the other side as Spyro appeared at the corner, firing his own fireballs at the Pack. The Pack quickly dispersed and soon, Spyro and Blink were fighting an equal share of them.

"RUMBLE TIME!" shouted Josh before jumping in the fight.

It was all utter chaos afterwards.

Josh, Despair and Felix all fought alongside Blink, Hunter, Bianca and Spyro to save the Temple from the coming of the Fear Hounds whom arrived because of the Flux. Fireballs were lobbed almost everywhere and explosions ripped the surrounding area. Hunter's bows were flying through the air, hitting a Fear Hound who lunged at Despair who had his back turned as he was charging up his electrical orb which was then lobbed at another Hound, burning it into a crisp.

Josh on the other hand utilized his ice element to freeze the floor on where the Hounds were standing to enable Bianca to cast magic on them and let Blink aim at them like sitting ducks. The resulting combo left them with shattered ice, the Hounds fading into gasses of smoke.

Felix tag teamed with Spyro and together, they created fireball after fireball, and lobbed it at the final group of staggering Hounds, creating a massive explosion that created a medium sized crater at the center of the entire chaos.

Before the fight even began, it had already ended. The Pack of Fear Hounds didn't stand a chance.

0 0 0 0 0

Josh panted as he laid down the floor. He was covered in ash, had a few bruises and cuts that were bleeding openly, but other than that, there were no fatal wounds. He was alive, and he just survived his first ever serious fight. And by golly gee, he felt a serious rush. He looked around him and saw Bianca healing Hunter at the corner whilst the Professor repaired his gloves. Apparently, the battle earlier completely wore it out.

Felix, Despair and Spyro were talking at the corner, with Felix explaining to Spyro about Despair's predicament along with getting him up to speed with everything that's been going on.

Josh looked up when someone came up to him.

"Stand up Josh. Let me heal you," said Bianca, helping him up.

"Thanks." He replied closing his eyes as the magic that Bianca used worked on him.

It felt different from red gems healing you, but it was soothing nonetheless. Slowly, his cuts were mending themselves like stitches closing in on one another. Before long, he felt like he was back into tip top shape, maybe even better.

"That…felt different," he said to her.

"You're welcome. But now we need to get back to business. What just happened?" asked Bianca.

"Yeah! What we're those things? I've never seen me one of those," voiced Blink, as he approached the trio.

"Those are what you call Fear Hounds," answered Felix.

"And they are the byproduct of Portal Fluxes," added Despair.

"You mean they're from another world!" said the Professor.

Josh nodded. "And if we don't stop the Sorcerer from messing with the Portal Magic, expect more Fluxes and more Hounds and whatever gets spewed out of the Flux."

It was an eerie prospect. Something they didn't want.

"But Josh, you mentioned something earlier. The Third Shadow Amplifier; what exactly is that?" asked Despair.

"It's a machine built by the Sorcerer," answered the Professor.

"What does it do?" asked Felix.

"It's a machine that absorbs magic and trap people in the Shadow Realm," answered Spyro.

Despair cocked his head. "What exactly is the Shadow Realm?"

"The Shadow Realm is a dark, magical world that's almost exactly identical to the Paleo Dragon Realms. It looks pretty much a black and white realm. The Shadow Realm is a universe parallel to the Paleo Dragon Realms that can only be accessed when somebody holding a Shadow Stone steps on a Shadow Teleporter Pad. Many horrible and strange creatures live there. I think that's where Fear Hounds come from. I knew I've recognized them before. That's where I've seen them. Also, people in the Shadow Realm can walk through wood. People outside the Shadow Realm cannot be seen by people inside the Shadow Realm, but they can be detected by magic. Some things in the Shadow Realm do not exist in the Dragon Realms, and vice-versa. Once, the Sorcerer tried to send all residents of the Paleo Dragon Realms into the Shadow Realm and trap them there forever, but his plan was ruined by me," explained Spyro to Josh, Felix and Despair.

"And he's using the Shadow Amplifier to create another Calamity." Hunter said, twiddling his paws.

"And what's a Calamity? Is that a natural disaster?" asked Felix.

"No; that's a term we use to name the wave of black magic that is emitted by the Shadow Amplifier, that drains all the magic and traps people in the Shadow Realms," explained Bianca.

"I see," said Josh.

Yes he did see. He already knew that. He already played Shadow Legacy back at the Other World. He was that dedicated to the series.

"So the _Third_ Shadow Amplifier is, I'm guessing, the latest one the Sorcerer has come up with," said Josh.

"That you are correct," replied Blink

"So our mission is…to destroy that machine and stop the Sorcerer," said Felix.

Hunter nodded. "Well saying it bluntly, yes."

"It seems straight forward enough; there's me, Hunter, Bianca, Spyro, Josh, Felix and Despair against the Sorcerer. With the help of you guys, it should be easy!" said Blink, putting on his gloves again.

"Not really," said Josh.

Everyone was surprised at his comment and looked at him.

"I agree with him," said the Professor. This time, everyone turned to look at the Professor.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" asked Josh.

"What?" Felix asked.

"As far as I know, everything's set," said Hunter.

"Ditto there," said Blink, scratching his chin.

"Did we forget something?" asked Spyro to Bianca. Bianca shook his head.

"Not that I know off," she replied.

Everyone began asking one another, wondering what they forgot as Josh asked them. It would seem that only Josh and the Professor knew what they forgot. After giving them a minute to figure it out, Josh broke his silence and answered.

"Well, what you forgot is, we don't exactly _know where_ the Sorcerer is now do we?'

Apparently, that hit the ice.

"Oh…yeah…how are we supposed to fight and stop the Sorcerer, if we don't even know where he is to begin with!" exclaimed Spyro.

That was a very good question.

Where exactly was the Sorcerer?

* * *

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	29. Chapter 29 Hindrance No More

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Hey hey hey!**

**Richer: Great another update!**

**Alec: It's good to hear that you finally answered the problem.**

**Zayril: Yes. I am very grateful for the help I received.**

**Josh: Enough talk people!**

**Felix: I want to know what happens next!**

**Despair: Me too.**

**Zayril: Okay okay..Disclaimers time!**

**Alec, Josh and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Despair: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair**

* * *

Chapter 29

Hindrance No More

Despair, Josh and Felix rested inside their room as they waited; waited for the arrival of information; information about the whereabouts of the Sorcerer. As they waited, Josh's mind drifted and he soon found himself looking at the past events that had happen. He couldn't believe the fact that it has been like what, a _day_ since they arrived and already a lot of things had happened. They got into a fight with Spyro due to a misunderstanding, got locked up, fought once again and was now waiting.

Who knew a lot can happen in such a short time span of twenty four hours.

Wanting something to do, he decided to at least help in gathering the information needed. He wasn't the type to just sit around and wait. Standing on his four paws, he walked out of their room. Despair, which was lying on his back on the bed, shifted and raised his brow.

"Where are you going?"

"I want to help." At this statement, Felix perked up. He was at the corner, playing with his tail.

"I want to come! Sitting in this room is making me edgy."

"Get over here then Felix, how about you Despair?" Despair thought for a moment, but before he could answer, the air between the three of them was disturbed as a _rumble_ echoed through.

"Looks like someone's hungry," teased Felix. Despair snorted and got off the bed.

"Let's get on with it then. I think Hunter has some food with him."

The trio left their room and was soon walking down the path. The Professor, being a nice mole, gave them lodging for the time being at one of the houses at the Dragon Village. Luckily for them, the house was quite near the area they were in earlier and soon found themselves walking at a familiar path, heading back to the Professor's Laboratory where the rest of the gang were.

Along the way, they passed by the Nursery which was, obviously, filled with Dragon Eggs yet to hatch. They even passed by Moneybag's Main Shop, which was filled with items; items that were alien to Despair and Felix whilst items that were nostalgic to Josh.

Before long, they arrived at the steps and were now at the entrance to the Professor's Laboratory.

But what greeted them was an interesting scene.

Spyro was standing at the front, thinking hard, whilst a pink dragoness stood beside him. Josh recognized her quite clear as day. Her name was Ember. She was a small pink dragoness with a gold necklace in the shape of a heart and bearing a red gem in the center. She had light pink wings, large blue eyes, and a heart at the tip of her tail. She even had a purple frill and horns that slightly resemble Spyro's.

Of course, if Ember was there, so was…

Flame.

The red dragon stood at the corner idly, looking at the sky like he had nothing to do. Flame's body was somewhat the same as Spyro except, he had a rounder and longer snout, a larger, lower body, and was a tad bit smaller than Spyro.

'_Oh the nostalgia_...' was all Josh could say in his mind. Of course, these two dragons were alien to Despair and Felix, such as that, an introduction was needed.

"Hey Spyro! Any luck with the search?" asked Josh, referring to the search for the Sorcerer. He just shook his head. Ember on the other hand noticed the gang and walked up to them.

"Hello, who are you three?" Josh raised a brow but nonetheless answered.

"I'm Josh."

"I'm Felix."

"And I'm Desapir."

At the introduction of Despair's name, Ember noticeably jumped and took steps backward. She even hid behind Spyro, making him slightly chuckle. Flame on the other hand looked at the group warily, his guard noticeably up.

"Relax Ember; he's a…_different_ Despair now," said Spyro to Ember. Ember moved a bit to the side and examined Despair, though, not leaving Spyro's side.

"Really…?" she asked.

"I'm different now," said Despair flatly.

Introductions soon followed after. And as it happened, Despair soon forgot he was hungry.

0 0 0 0 0

Meanwhile, inside the Laboratory, the Professor, Hunter, Blink and Bianca were all busy trying to figure out where exactly the Sorcerer was. The Professor was busy with the computer, with his nephew helping him. Bianca on the other hand was busy looking at the readings in the computer whilst Hunter discussed thing to her.

"Let's get a recap," he said, Bianca looked up from the computer and sighed.

"Okay, that might get us somewhere." Hunter nodded then began.

"What is the Sorcerer theoretically doing right now?" asked Hunter.

"Well, he is messing with the Portal Magic, theoretically making him stronger. But the side effects are the Portal Fluxes, which is why Josh and the others are here. There world is affected by the Fluxes." Hunter scratched his chin.

"With that hypothesis, what can we deduce?" asked Hunter.

"Hmm…good question," said Bianca.

Much to the surprise of the two, the moles overheard their conversation, and came up with their own deductions.

"Well, we can deduce," began the Professor. "That wherever the Sorcerer is, he has to be at a place where he can tap the energy, or magic, of the Portals." Hunter and Bianca nodded.

"And that is the location we're looking for, right?" asked Blink.

Everyone in the room nodded.

"Okay, so the question now is where is…a…place…where there is…a lot of…Portal Magic. Like, it's…_strong_ there…," said Blink, brainstorming as best as he can.

There was silence in the room as the only thing quite audible was the silence cranking of their minds, trying to come up with an answer. Hunter stretched a little as he thought and his eyes gazed up at the monitors in the room, buzzing with life. Then, the idea struck him. How could he have forgotten it when it was just right in front of his face?

"What is it Hunter?" asked Bianca, noticing the glint of hope in his eyes.

"I think I just know how to find the Sorcerer." He then approached the monitors and began fiddling with it.

"What are you doing Hunter?" asked the Professor.

"Well," he began as he typed at the keyboard. "I am configuring the computer to look for a place where Portal Magic had become quite strong recently."

At that point, they just had a breakthrough.

"That…that…might actually work; Hunter, you're a genius!" exclaimed Blink. Hunter nodded humbly.

"I try to be."

"Don't rub it in," said Bianca, bursting his bubble.

Hunter then began to type his search parameters on the computer and crossed his paws.

"I hope this works."

He then pressed 'enter'. Tense moments ticked by as the search began. Everything was riding on this search, because if it didn't work, they'd literally be back to square one. They wanted to stop the Sorcerer badly and this theoretical idea was their only hope. And it was_ theoretical_. The chances of it being correct were a million to one.

But apparently they were…

The computer _dinged _when it finished its search.

"What does it say?" asked Bianca, looking over Hunter's shoulder.

"Hunter? What does it say?" asked the Professor.

"Don't keep us hanging!" said Blink excitedly.

0 0 0 0 0

"I'm sorry for attacking you earlier the day. I forgot to apologize earlier," said Spyro as he sat beside Despair. He nodded.

"I understand; so…what you going to tell us yet?" asked Despair.

"Tell you three what?" Felix looked at Josh; then answered.

"That you—"

"—And Ember are together!" finished Despair.

Josh tried his best to stifle his laughter, as he already knew what was to come next. But of course, Despair and Felix didn't know this, as they don't know the backstory yet to Ember and Spyro. The four of them were hanging out under the shade of the tree. Flame and Ember left earlier, saying they had to check something out at the Nursery.

"WE'RE NOT TOGETHER!" yelled Spyro at the top of his lungs.

Despair and Felix both leaned back as they felt the ground tremble from Spyro's sudden outburst.

"You're not together?" asked Despair, surprised at his statement.

"We're_ not_." Spyro's eyes were noticeably shining with flames as his expression bore the face of an annoyed dragon.

"They're not together guys. Ember's just…obsessive," said Josh, explaining of Ember's fanatical crush on Spyro.

"Obsessive? That's an understatement. She won't leave me alone!" complained Spyro.

"At least your other half has a better life. At least Cynder isn't obsessive," muttered Josh under his breath.

"What was that?" asked Spyro.

"Oh, nothing."

Josh sighed and looked idly at the sky. At this time, Despair and Felix felt contented to just look up at the sky too.

"Hey Josh?" asked Despair.

"Yeah, what is it?" asked Josh looking back down at him.

"I find something weird…" said Despair.

"What's weird?" asked Felix.

"My…memories…" said Despair.

"What about them?" Josh asked.

"Well, now that I remember a part of my past life, there are still some holes, like how I ended up at the Neo Dragon Realms right?"

"Yeah…but I'm guessing it has something to do with the Sorcerer," replied Josh.

"Understandable but this is what bothers me. Remember what happened when I saw the Orb back at Dante's Freezer?" he asked.

"Yeah…you screamed in pain. Why was that again?" asked Felix.

"Well…I may or_ may not_ have told you this but…when I saw the orb…"

**~FLASHBACK~**

**Time Frame: Chapter 17, Enterende**

_The images that he saw were __**blurry, hazy**__, like you were looking into a television screen that had bad reception. Nevertheless…he could make out at least enough to know what was going on. The __**first image was an image of…a dragon…dragons**__? He couldn't be sure as the image was lacking in detail. It wasn't enough to confirm it. __**The next image**__ that flashed __**was an image…of something tall. **__The next image__**...was nothing… but white. **__The image he saw was __**white**__; __**nothing but white color.**__ He couldn't make anything else out._

_Then, as the array of images flashed in Despair's mind, the excruciating pain slowly ebbed away, but it still made him stagger, having him fall down the floor on all fours. He was panting and sweating. Whatever happened to him, it took a toll on his body._

**~END FLASHBACK~ **

"What do you think of the images I saw have any connection to me?" asked Despair. Josh scratched his chin whilst Spyro just listened intently. He didn't exactly know what they were talking about, but at least he tried to relate.

"I'm not sure Despair…maybe will figure it out as we go along." Despair nodded.

Then the silence was broken when the sound of Hunter's voice echoed through the air.

"GUYS! We've found the Sorcerer! We have a lead!"

* * *

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	30. Chapter 30 Into Memory Lane

**~Backstage~ **

**Zayril: Hey guys! Another update!**

**Alec: Well this seems rather interesting.**

**Josh: Memory lane eh?**

**Felix: Nice.**

**Richer: Hm...nice choice of doing things.**

**Despair: Enough already! I want to read it!**

**Zayril: Disclaimer time!**

**Alec, Josh and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Despair: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair.**

* * *

Chapter 30

Into Memory Lane

"GUYS! We've found the Sorcerer! We have a lead!" exclaimed Hunter. Spyro, Despair, Josh and Felix all stood up and approached Hunter. They had finally had a breakthrough.

"Okay, what did you do and where is he?" asked Spyro.

"Well, we did some searches with the computer and came up with something," said Hunter.

Then, as they headed back to the lab, Hunter got them up to speed with all of the details they did, regarding onto how they got their lead.

"So let me get this straight, the Sorcerer, you think, is located at the Dark Mines?" asked Josh.

"That is correct," said the Professor. "And we have reason to believe it is so."

"And that reason is?" asked Despair.

"It's because of your reason Josh. You said that the Sorcerer is tapping into Portal Magic. So with that idea, we scanned and searched for the location where Portal Magic is concentrated. The Dark Mines, which is located at Volcanic Isle, is what came up." Felix nodded.

"That's where we need to go right?" asked Felix.

"Yes indeed," said Bianca.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go!" said Josh animatedly.

"Hold on a minute. We can't go just yet," said Hunter.

Josh, Felix and Despair looked at each other and then asked.

"Why?"

"It's because," the Professor began. "Volcanic Isle is _very_ far from here. You'll have to go by teleportation." This surprised Despair.

"You have a…teleporter?" he asked, thinking of the right word.

"In a manner of speaking, right now though…" trailed the Professor.

"It's broken isn't it?" asked Josh, cutting to the chase.

Everyone turned to Josh, surprised at how he worded it. The Professor sighed.

"It is. We're still fixing it. But do not worry, we're nearly done. About 90 percent complete." Josh smiled.

"That's good to hear. What shall we do in the meantime?" he asked.

"You can do anything you want; rest, relax, have fun, sleep, eat anything. Be sure to come prepared because the Sorcerer is a formidable opponent," said Hunter.

"Roger that," said Josh.

"Where can we sleep anyway?" asked Despair, yawning actually.

"We have spare rooms. But I recommend outside. Its cooler there," said Hunter.

"Okay then; I'll be taking a nap." Josh then watched as Despair headed outside.

0 0 0 0 0

Josh walked outside, sighing, a sigh of relief. He could finally relax for once. It had been a long time ever since he _did_ relax. He couldn't even remember when it was. But now as he lied down under a tree, he used this time to think about all the things he did.

He couldn't believe that for the past…6 days of his life, it had turned completely upside down. He couldn't believe that only six days have passed and he was where he was now. In just a span of six days, his life changed for…the better? Josh wasn't quite sure himself though if it was for the better. But he was leaning more to it.

But with the perks and happiness he achieved as a dragon, there were downsides he realized.

He missed his parents. He was getting homesick more than ever.

He remembered how he worried so much when Demex disappeared.

**~FLASHBACK~**

**Time Frame: Chapter 2 ~ 21, **_**The Blue Dragon**_**, Josh's POV**

**Day 1 March 9, 2010**

The sound of an alarm clocked buzzed as it reached 5:30 AM. The date read as, March 9 2010; a fine Tuesday morning. A fifteen year old named Josh woke up with a groan of annoyance. Lazily and sleepily, he stretched out his hand and pressed the 'snooze' button on his alarm clock. With some grunts and the bed creaking, he sat up and swung his legs to the side.

He rubbed his eyes and stood up, stretching as the warm glow of the sun basked him. Not wanting to waste time, he immediately went to his dresser and got the necessary things needed in preparation to school.

0 0 0 0 0

A few moments later, Josh was downstairs waiting for his school bus. His mother was on the phone, talking to someone worriedly. He overheard the conversation.

"_What_?" His mother exclaimed to the receiver. "Are you sure?" The other end then spoke, in a seemingly equally worried tone, and sounded like he was panicking.

"Calm down; have you tried looking?" asked his mother.

The other end replied. His mother scratched her chin as she listened.

"Calm down, Jen, calm down. We'll help you look for him."

Josh didn't managed to ask who it was that seemed to be missing, as the school bus horn sounded off from outside. But he knew one thing though; it involved the Windsor family, the family of his best friend Demex. The one that called was Jennifer Windsor, Demex's mother.

0 0 0 0 0

**Day 4 March 13 2010**

Josh sighed as he looked at the calendar. It was March 13, Saturday. It had been 4 days. Four days since his friend, Demex, disappeared. Disappeared, apparently, of the face of the earth; since these last four days, he, along with his family and the Windsor Family, has been searching their town, Drakos, high and low for Demex.

But their efforts were in vain, as they didn't find him.

And the fact that they were being helped by the authorities didn't seem to help. With the help of Officer Gideon Hart, a friend of Max Windsor, they had managed to get in contact and get it announced. It seemed the like the entire nation was looking for Demex.

The police officers patrolled everywhere and asked suspicious looking people if they had seen him.

Hotlines were established just to get a lead.

It was a mass search, and it seemed that they were combing Drakos with a fine comb. Now, as he stood inside Demex's room, he tried to look for anything. Any sign of why he might've runaway. It was a possibility that his mother didn't want to hear, but it was still a possibility.

Josh sifted through his things and saw his laptop.

Wanting to see what it had on it, he turned it on and checked at the internet browser. He sighed, seeing what it contained and it didn't surprise him. Like usual, Demex's browser had last browsed, his favorite things, dragons. The tabs on his browser contained nothing but web-pages about his favorite fantasy creatures.

He just shook his head.

0 0 0 0 0

**Day 6 March 15 2010**

Josh was in his room, contemplating. He couldn't believe the news he had received. Apparently the police…were pulling the plug. They said it was a waste of resources. Josh felt his entire world had collapsed. He was sad, and was nearing depression.

Demex was his best friend, and he couldn't let this happen.

But what could he possibly do? He was just a teen.

**~END OF FLASHBACK~**

"Hey! _Hey! Josh!_" Josh snapped awake, and Felix was standing over him. His eyes wandered a bit and he saw that the stars were already out. It was nighttime; seemed like it was 7 PM.

"What?" he asked sleepily.

"It's game time." Josh's eyebrows creased.

"Game time? What game time?" Felix chuckled.

"We're going now!"

"Going where?"

"The teleporter has been fixed now, and is being warmed up. Come on! We have to go to the teleporter pad now."

That was when his memories came back to him. And he finally got a grip on reality. He stood up so quickly, he surprised Felix.

"Okay, then let's go."

0 0 0 0 0

Josh was surprised earlier. He didn't know he actually fell asleep. Who knew taking a trip down memory lane could get you to sleep? Nonetheless, he shook his head as he shook of nervousness as they waited for the teleporter to be ready.

"Very different eh?" asked Despair, as he stood next him.

"Very; I hope this one doesn't hurt," said Josh.

"Ditto," said Felix.

A few minutes later, the portal was now ready.

"Okay, everyone, stepped in now," said Blink as he manned the controls, whilst the Professor checked the machine.

Bianca, Hunter, Spyro, Despair, Felix and Josh all stepped and squeezed themselves into the teleporter pad that was now glowing. Once they were in, Hunter gave Blink the thumbs up sign.

"Here we go again," said Spyro under his breath.

"Okay! Teleporter is now activated, teleporting in…5…"

Felix took a deep breath. This was it. After this, it was them against the Sorcerer, if the Sorcerer was at the Mines. But he had a strong feeling that he'd be there.

…4…

The Teleporter began to whizz and emit a glowing light, signifying it was activated.

…3…

Josh prepared himself for the inevitable. But…he heard something he wished he just hadn't.

There was a loud _whooshing_ sound that came a few feet away from them.

…2…1…

Everything seemed to have gone into chaos after that. He heard the Professor scream, and Blink's power gloves firing. He felt his friends try to help, but the machine was already in motion.

...0…

Then…disaster struck. There was a bright flash, and he lost consciousness.

* * *

**Author's Notes: I'd like to thank all the people who gave me some ideas for this chapter. You know who you are. They were great, and I ended up just combining them all. Thanks guys.**

**

* * *

Please take some time to R&R.**

**Please take some time to visit the website.**

**And favorite it, along with the author.**


	31. Chapter 31 Vivid Dreamscape

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Hey Hey! Another update for you all!**

**Felix: YEY!**

**Despair: This is awesome!**

**Josh: YES!**

**A****lec: Oh snap. The chapter title is...Dreamscape. **

**Richer: Why? What's wrong with it being called 'Dreamscape'?**

******Alec: Well...when Zayril makes a chapter called Dreamscape...let's just say...something _odd_ happens.**

**Felix: _Odd_? Odd as in how odd?**

**Alec: Odd to the point that when you finished reading that _specific_ part, you'd say, "What?". It wouldn't make any sense, but _eventually_ it will.**

**Zayril: Enough of that please. time for the disclaimers!**

**Alec, Josh and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Despair: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair**

* * *

Chapter 31

Vivid Dreamscape

Despair groaned as he regained his consciousness. He didn't know what had happened, but he felt like he was hit by a truck. He groaned in displeasure as he stood up on all fours again. But what he saw completely caught him off guard. He was standing on a circular platform, floating and situated in an endless black void that seemed to span to infinity,

One question popped into his head, and he spoke it out loud.

"Where am I?" he asked himself, panic welling up inside him. He then tried to remember what had happened.

Everything was a hazy blur for Despair when they got in the teleporter. He could remember to the point of entering the teleporter and getting ready to be teleported to Volcanic Isle. Even to the point of Blink counting down and the apparent Flux that had happened whilst they were there. But after the Flux appeared and everything went into chaos, it was blank. He must've hit his head quite hard.

Now standing in this endless void of nothingness, he was lost and didn't know what else to do.

"Hello?" he called out, but the only sound he heard was the sound of his pawfalls as he walked to edge.

"Anyone here?" he exclaimed as he looked down. It seemed like a bottomless black pit.

Looking up, it seemed that the ceiling was the same as well; just an endless black top that had no end.

"Where am I?" he asked himself, slowly being overwhelmed with anxiety. It would seem that the teleporter had malfunctioned, sending him…into…oblivion. But if this were the case, another question went into his mind. Where were the others? Were they sent as well into…an endless and void space? Despair could only hypothesize at best. The best thing he could do was get out of there; wherever 'there' was.

"How are you my dear friend?"

The voice rippled through the air which made his head snap back up. I ray of hope shone through his hopelessness. He wasn't alone in this endless void.

"Where are you?" he asked, looking around for the source of the voice.

"Right behind you," answered the voice.

He turned around, and what he saw surprised him.

Standing before him, was a silver dragon, with a brown underbelly. He bore an expression of calmness that seemed to make him feel calm too. Looking at his face, Despair felt a sense of déjà vu.

But what made him more surprised was what was next to the dragon.

Next to the silver dragon was a large brown sturdy double door-door that seemed to be standing on its own magically. It was decorated with the oddest styles of designs and some rare looking gems were etched and placed on its frame. Questions grew from his mind which he wanted to quell so badly.

Where did this door come from? It wasn't there before!

But first things first, he had to question the silver dragon first.

"Who are you?"

"You don't know me?" asked the dragon, smiling at me. He shook his head. The dragon chuckled.

"You already know who I am Despair."

"How do you know my name? I don't even know yours!"

"Despair, you know my name quite clearly. You've know it for the rest of your life."

"If that's the case, how come I don't know?"

"Just look at the chain of memories within your heart and you will know it."

With that, Despair mind was sent into oblivion of questions. Who was this dragon? Why was he speaking in riddles? It was sending his mind into over drive.

But it was derailed, when all of a sudden, the door opened. A bright light shone through it, blinding him completely. It was so bright he went literally blind for a few seconds. Then, when everything returned back, specifically his vision, he was surprised to find he wasn't where he was earlier.

He was standing in a middle of a room that resembled a bedroom. A bed was at the side, a desk here, an end table there and even a bookshelf was at the corner. And even more so, Despair sensed another déjà vu as he looked at the things.

But he couldn't stay longer as he heard a _crash_ that came from downstairs.

Wondering what it was, he opened the door and soon found himself in the living room of the house he was in.

A scene was transpiring in front of him. Then, as if things couldn't get any weirder, the color of the environment he was in seem to be taken away, leaving him in a black and white vision, literally. Plus, it slowly turned blurry and hazy, like he was looking through frosted glass; with quality being reduced by the minute.

But just before the colors faded, he saw a being in a black hooded cloak stand at the doorway, to his left. On the opposite of the room, two dragons, a male and female, stood to his right. He couldn't recognize the colors of the dragons as now as everything was now in black and white. It would seem that the parties were locked in a fight, and what caught his attention was that, it would seem, neither party noticed him.

_~~ The images that he saw were __**blurry, hazy**__, like you were looking into a television screen that had bad reception. Nevertheless…he could make out at least enough to know what was going on. ~~_

The male dragon reared up and opened its maw, firing what seemed like Convexity to the hooded being. He got struck head on and it engulfed him completely. When light faded, a white chain lock necklace was wrapped around in his neck as he staggered. Retaliating back, he fired what seemed like a spell at the two dragons. Everything turned into white again when the spell hit the two dragons.

_~~ The next image__**...was nothing… but white. **__The image he saw was __**white**__; __**nothing but white color.**__ He couldn't make anything else out. ~~_

When everything went back to a decent visibility he saw that the two dragons were down on the ground, seemingly knocked out cold.

Despair wanted to help badly, but for some reason, he couldn't move.

Just then, the being in the black hooded cloak slowly stared vaporizing into thin air. But just before he did so, he went behind the sofa and seemed to be grabbing something.

_**~~ The next image**__ that flashed __**was an image…of something tall. ~~**_

Finally he succeeded and Despair got a glimpse of what it was. It was a dragon. A hatchling; then that was when the being vaporized completely, the hatchling along with it.

But just before everything sank into Despair, it would seem more surprises were in store for him.

Everything around him literally _shattered_. Shattered like a piece of glass shattering into a million tinier pieces. Even the floor he was standing on shattered. And when it did, he fell. Fell into the black void of nothingness. He screamed, screamed as loudly as he can as he frantically opened his wings. But when they did, logic defied him as he still kept falling. Falling and falling and falling into the endless void.

0 0 0 0 0

"AH!" exclaimed Despair as he came to.

Despair was panting and sweating, as his heartbeat raced a mile a minute. He had just had the weirdest, and downright intriguing, dream in his entire dragon life. He couldn't even classify if the dream itself was a nightmare or something else entirely.

But he let out a sigh of relief as it was finally over and he was back to reality.

But as he got his sense of reality, he realized where he was.

He was in a reddish room and was lying on a mattress. Bookshelves and a desk at the corner surrounded him. A stand was at the corner and he gasped when he saw what was on it. Hung at the stand was a black hooded coat. The same one he saw at his dream.

"It seems you're awake," said a voice that sent chills down his spine. He turned around and saw where the voice came from.

It came from a dragon that was wearing a gray robe and a knight's helmet that concealed his face. He was standing upright and used a staff with a red orb on it, decorated with a yellow semi-circle, as support.

"How are you my faithful servant?" he asked, before the orb started glowing.

0 0 0 0 0

Josh groaned loudly as he regained his consciousness.

"Ow…my head…" he groaned as he slowly stood up again on his all fours. He looked around and, after his vision clearing up, saw where he was. He smiled as he recognized the location he was in. He was standing right in front of the entrance to the Dark Mines.

Looking around, he saw Hunter, Bianca piled up at the corner. Felix and Spyro in the same situation as well, lying out cold at the side. Walking up to them, he nudged them with his maw and one by one, they all came to. In a matter of minutes, everyone was alive again, and checking themselves for any injury they may had acquired.

"What in the world happen back there?" asked Felix as he stood next to Josh.

"I honestly don't know," said Josh. "I think a Flux just happened as we were leaving."

"I hope everyone's okay. I hope the Professor and Blink survived that," said Hunter grimly.

"They would," said Josh optimistically.

"Josh's right. We have to be optimistic," said Spyro.

"Speaking of everyone, 1...2...3..."

Bianca did a head count and gasped once she noticed something.

She then did it again.

"1…2…3…"

This time she gasped again, and this caught Josh's attention.

"What is it Bianca?" Bianca looked worriedly at him then answered.

"Where's Despair?"

* * *

**Author's Notes: Yes, there _are_ some references there, so...yeah.**

* * *

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	32. Chapter 32 Enter the Lair

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Hey guys! Z here with an update!**

**Felix: Wow! That was fast!**

**Josh: If you only knew the trouble Zayril went through for this chapter.**

**Despair: Why? What happened?**

**Alec: This chapter is actually version 2.**

**Richer: There was a version 1? **

**Zayril: I didn't like how it turned out. So I had to do a rewrite. Anyways, disclaimer time!**

**Alec, Josh and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Despair: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despai**

* * *

Chapter 32

Enter the Lair

"Where's Despair?" asked Bianca.

"He's not here," said Josh, looking around wildly.

And then, something caught his attention.

"What is it?" asked Spyro as he saw his expression.

"I think…we're not at the Dark Mines too," said Josh, making everyone wonder.

"Why?" asked Hunter.

"How can you say that, this _is _the…oh snap…" said Bianca as he looked around.

"What's wrong everybody? We're not at the Dark Mines? I thought the Dark Mines were supposed to be black and white?" asked Felix.

"No Felix; it's not," said Josh. Spyro shook his head.

"We're at the Shadow Realms Felix…" said Spyro shaking his head.

Josh had missed it earlier but now, everything was right in front of him. The entire area they were in was _black_ and _white_. It was in fact the Shadow Realms. For some odd reason, the teleporter had sent them to the Shadow Realms instead of the Dark Mines.

"What are we going to do now?" asked Felix.

"We have to find a way out of here. A Shadow Teleporter Pad should get us out," answered Felix.

"That's not possible," said Bianca, rubbing her forehead.

"Why not?" asked Spyro.

"We need a Shadow Stone Spyro," answered Hunter for Bianca.

"Oh snap," he said realizing this crucial information.

"The teleporter must've malfunctioned because of the Flux that had happen," said Josh.

"So Josh…we're _stuck_ here?" asked Felix, slightly panicking.

"No," said Josh shaking his head. "This is actually a good thing."

At this statement, everyone turned their heads to him.

"How can this be a good thing?" asked Spyro.

"Well, the answer is simple Spyro, but first, what is the Shadow Realm?" asked Josh.

"The Shadow Realm is a dark, magical world that's almost exactly identical to the real world. Except it's pretty much a black and white color theme all over the world." Josh nodded.

"Exactly and…who _lives_ in the Shadow Realms?" asked Josh with a smirk.

"The _Sorcerer_," answered Hunter, realizing this crucial piece of information.

"So…let me guess we just have to defeat the Sorcerer to get out of this place?" asked Felix, slightly sounding a bit more relieve.

"_Exactly_," answered Josh.

"Our work is never easy," complained Felix.

"You can say that again," said Spyro.

0 0 0 0 0

"So…where _exactly is_ the Sorcerer in this Realm?" asked Felix, looking around.

"Hmm…I think we should still check out the Dark Mines. One fascinating fact about the Shadow Realms is that, some things in the Shadow Realm do not exist in the Paleo Dragon Realms, and vice-versa," said Josh.

"So…we might him here then?" asked Felix, a ray of hope in his mind. He didn't want to get stuck in the Shadow Realms.

"Most likely."

"And Despair too?"

"Even more likely; I have a feeling he's here." Felix nodded.

"Let's get going then guys," said Spyro.

But before they could move from their area, something happened.

Black smoke emanated from in front of them and something walked out of it. It somehow gave Felix the faint image of a Predator but it looked a bit more…menacing. Its hide was shadow black, and he swore he could see faint wisps of smoke emitting from it, making it seem like it was made of gas; and its eyes were darker than blood red. Its head darted left and right, sniffing the air for its supposed prey. When its head turned to the five of them, he swore, it made his entire body lock up from the sudden rush of…fear.

Then…he remembered something his grandfather told him.

**~FLASHBACK~**

**Time Frame: Chapter 23, The Sendoff**

"_What are they then?" asked Felix. Malefor approached them and sat near them._

"_Well…I can say that they are what they call 'Fear Hounds'." answered Malefor._

"_Fear Hounds?" asked the Felix and Despair._

"_Yes, Fear Hounds. They're creatures that exist from a faraway place. A place I thought didn't exist at first. But the evidence had proven it otherwise. Coming from the name, they also have a slight elemental ability of Fear; thus, the reason why they are rarely encountered at the area they were in. In simpler terms, a dragon gets a sudden fear of the unknown, which forces him/her to divert their path from the path of a Fear Hound. Their Fear element is mostly used as a protection precaution, not an offensive tactic though. They're mostly non violent by nature. Come across one, stray away from its path and you're okay. But…if they ever feel threatened, they will attack; or in other case, if they are hunting._

**~END OF FLASHBACK~**

"That's a… that's a _Fear Hound_,"

"A what?" Hunter asked as his muscle tensed up as he slowly made his arms to his bow.

"A _Fear Hound_—nobody move a muscle! Stand still!" exclaimed Felix.

Everybody did so, following Felix's commands. The Fear Hound all look at them, seemingly scrutinizing them. Sweat dripped from Josh's forehead as he waited for the Fear Hound to do his move. He might lunge at them, worst case scenario, so he had to prepare himself. Bianca, Hunter and Spyro all were nervous and suddenly struck with a sense of fear as they looked at the Fear Hound.

It would seem that seconds and moments ticked by as the Fear Hound stared at them. But…as quickly as it began, the Fear Hound was suddenly engulfed in black, thick smoke and when it dissipated, he was nowhere in sight.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief. Danger had passed.

"Good call Felix," said Josh, smiling at him.

"Thank you," said Felix.

"Mind explaining to us what just happened?" asked Spyro.

"Gladly," said Felix as he stood up again.

"But explain it along the way inside the Dark Mines. I think it's not safe for us to be in the open," said Hunter, looking around for more Fear Hounds.

"Understood," replied Felix.

0 0 0 0 0

As Felix explained what had just happened, Josh immediately noticed a difference in the Dark Mines. The nostalgic entrance to the Dark Mines was replaced with an odd looking entrance instead. It seemed out of place. Instead of the familiar looking rocky walls one would find in a mine, it was replaced with limestone walls that were lined with torches at either side.

This can only mean one thing.

The Dark Mines version in the Shadow Realms was the entrance to the Sorcerer's Lair.

"So those things are Fear Hounds eh? Never knew," said Spyro as Felix finished explaining.

"Yeah—hey, is the Dark Mines supposed to be like this?" asked Felix.

"No—it's like this because this is the entrance to the Sorcerer's Lair. There's no other explanation," said Bianca.

"Well, this is it then," said Hunter, taking out his bow and loading it. "Prepare yourselves as this area should be heavily guarded."

"Understood," said Josh and Felix.

And just as Hunter said this, as if on cue, black thick smoke enveloped the exit of the Dark Mines and soon, it was barely visible.

And Fear Hounds came out of it, accompanied with the sound of an ominous voice, all too familiar for Hunter, Spyro and Bianca.

"_It would seem that we have guests…my dear pets, please, give them a warm welcome." _

"That's the Sorcerer!" exclaimed Hunter.

"That's gotta be him!" exclaimed Spyro.

"Um…guys, I think we should deal with the Hounds first," said Felix, then he fired a fireball at it.

The fireball soared through the air and lit up the Fear Hound. It howled in pain as the fire began to engulf its entire body. Before long, it dissipated back into the black thick smoke behind it. Felix was about to celebrate with his victory, but out another Fear Hound replaced it.

"This is pointless, they are almost infinite!" said Josh, firing an icicle at another Fear Hound which was stabbed and dissipated, but again, was replaced with another.

"We have to fall back!" shouted Spyro.

"Everyone RUN!" shouted Hunter.

No one needed to be told twice.

The five of them turned around and headed into the Sorcerer's Lair, the Fear Hounds hot on their trail. Josh stopped midway and opened his maw. Using his ice element, he created an ice wall, four times thicker than the average wall to momentarily stop their pursuers.

"That should hold them off," he said, looking proudly at his work.

"Great job Jo—"

Then all of a sudden, the ice wall smashed into pieces and black smoke began to seep in again. Accompanied by this were the Fear Hounds again.

"On second thought, _KEEP RUNNING!"_ shouted Spyro. Josh snorted in annoyance and followed after them.

The hallway they were in seemed endless as they kept running deeper and deeper. But eventually, they could see a large white double door at the end. Its doorframe had the most intriguing designs and elaborate pattern. But they couldn't admire it for along as Bianca immediately went up to it, and yanked it open.

"Get in!" she shouted.

Spyro, Hunter, Felix and Josh all went in and she followed after. With some grunting and forceful pushing, they managed to close the door again before the black smoke managed to seep in. Josh panted and was sweating as he his muscles burned. Felix was right beside him, panting and breathing heavily again.

"Let's hope this door will hold," said Hunter as he turned around.

Josh this time managed to look ahead and gasped as he saw what was up ahead.

The five of them had apparently entered a large circular white room. Windows were at the top, and showed nothing but the black and white theme of the Shadow Realm. At the center of this room was the supposed Shadow Amplifier. It was the oddest machine as it glowed with life, as tubes and pipes connected to each other, its insides filled with glowing white orbs, which Josh considered was the Portal Magic.

But what took Josh's attention the most was the fact that there were two beings standing before it.

One was wearing a gray robe and a knight's helmet that concealed his face. He was standing upright and used a staff with a red orb on it, decorated with a yellow semi-circle, as support. Standing beside this gray robed dragon, was another dragon. This one though was wearing a black robe, whose black hood concealed the owner.

The Gray Robed Dragon then spoke ominously.

"Spyro and friends, welcome to my humble home."

* * *

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	33. Chapter 33 Something Unexpected

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Hey hey! It's me again! With an update! **

**Josh: YEY!**

**Richer: Wow! First update of the new year!**

**Alec: This story...is very long isn't it?**

**Felix: Yup.**

**Zayril: And the best part is, we're just halfway through!**

**Everyone: WHAT!**

**Zayril: Yeah. And enough of that, time for the disclaimers!**

**Alec, Josh and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Despair: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair.**

* * *

Chapter 33

Something Unexpected

"Spyro and friends, welcome to my humble home."

The voice sent chills down his spine. Josh knew, from that moment on, as if it weren't obvious enough, that that was the Sorcerer. His memory served him correctly. But the black robed dragon; this one he did not recognized. And it set his alarm off. He was on guard.

"Hello…Sorcerer," replied Spyro with a tinge of bitterness.

"It's been a long time now hasn't it?" asked the Sorcerer, leaning on his staff.

"Way _too_ long," replied Hunter.

"How is this possible? How did you survive?" asked Bianca.

"You think it was that easy for me to be finished off?" he clicked his tongue, whilst shaking his head. "Frankly my dear, that is where my faithful servant comes in; without him, I wouldn't be here anymore."

And at that point, that was when the Black Robed dragon removed his hood to reveal who it was.

Much to the horror of everyone, it was Despair.

But something about Despair was rather different. He looked more…menacing. He was no longer the Despair the all of them knew. He's body even looked different. His muscles more prominent, and were showing under the robe. His face bore no expression, yet something about his eye told otherwise. He stood rigid and stared back at them, silently watching. Josh could feel as if he was staring into his soul.

A shiver went down his spine which he tried to dismiss discreetly.

"Despair! What are you doing!" exclaimed Felix. Despair only looked at him, but said no reply.

"In any case, I thank my faithful servant, Despair, to ensuring my safety when…_Spyro_," he said his name with dripping bitterness. "Destroyed my Shadow Amplifier; but thanks to my ingenuity, I have managed to rebuild it again. I will finally have my _revenge_."

"Revenge? On us?" asked Spyro.

And the reply of the Sorcerer from this question caught Josh's attention.

"Spyro, Spyro…" he said, shaking his head. "I am sorry; but you're not on the top of my list. But since we're here anyway…"

At this point, Despair removed his robes and it fell down to the ground on a heap. He tilted his head, joints cracking, making Felix even shiver more from fear. Josh sensed…a fight was coming up.

"Might as well take care of you," said the Sorcerer with an unfathomable expression of voice.

And at that point, madness broke loose.

As if a verbal agreement was said, Hunter, Bianca and Spyro broke to the left, tag teaming together to deal with the Sorcerer. All the while, Josh and Felix were left to fight against Despair. Josh dodge-rolled to the right when Despair moved with lightning speed; he was equally amazed as he had never seen him move like that before.

It must've been the Sorcerer's demonizing of him that gave him such abilities.

He was no longer the Despair they knew.

He was Dark Despair.

But when the realization struck, he couldn't believe it. He and Felix were at a loss. They didn't have any courage in them to fight a best friend, let alone hurt them. Felix and Josh themselves could only dodge and defend as Dark Despair pounded them endlessly. Josh received a bruised as he was swiped by Dark Despair's tail when he turned around, whilst firing an Electric Shot at Felix. Felix on the other hand dodged this and fired off a Fireball back at Dark Despair, who just swatted it, with his tail, like it was nothing.

"Josh! What are we going to do!" exclaimed Felix, as he dodged left and right.

"Do…._anything!_" shouted right back Josh.

On the other side of the fight, things didn't look that much brighter. It seems that the last time they fought, the Sorcerer had gotten stronger. Hunter used his agility, combined with Bianca's magic, to try and distract the Sorcerer to allow Spyro to do big hitting damages to him. But their efforts were in vain, as the Sorcerer himself just defended himself with equal effort. Using his staff, he created a barrier which deflected Bianca's magic, making it ricochet with deadly accuracy. Luckily, she was saved before getting hit, by Hunter who saw it coming.

The Sorcerer just laughed maniacally as he fended Spyro's relentless firing of Fireballs with his magical staff. It was like he was just playing baseball, with Fireballs as balls.

The two fights looked bleak and were becoming bleaker as it progress. Spyro's Fireballs were doing more damage to their party, rather than the Sorcerer. If only they could just find a way to get rid of his staff. It would seem his staff was the one giving him most control over his powers. But how were they supposed to do it? That was the question that gnawed on the three attackers minds.

Going back to Dark Despair's fight with his friends, things didn't look better.

Josh sported bruises and cuts everywhere, some bleeding openly. Felix didn't fare any better; he himself had bruises and cuts like Josh, but he was coughing up blood now, when Dark Despair smacked him in the chest with his tail earlier the fight.

They had to think of a working strategy.

And they had to think fast.

Josh thought as fast as they could, summing up all the factors they were thrown at. Dark Despair moved fast, and the only way they could think of, of saving him was trying to talk to him. So the only method he could think of was…

"Felix! Flamethrower now!" he shouted at Felix.

"A _what_?" exclaimed back Felix; Josh shook his head then rephrased the order.

"Blow fire on him! _NOW!_"

Felix followed through and blew a jet stream of continuous flame on Dark Despair. This made him stagger back and get cornered slightly at a corner. Using this momentary advantage, Josh followed through with a large blast of sub-zero ice at Dark Despair. Felix stopped and looked at what he was doing. In just a few moments, Dark Despair was frozen, in a thick cube of ice. Apparently, Josh's gamble, worked.

He panted and sweated, as he stared at the frozen Dark Despair. His expression was off anger and it was obvious that he was still alive inside. Josh only did this to buy them some time. He needed to take a breather, and this was the only solution he came up.

"Felix," he began, using this time to strategize. "I think the only way to beat Despair, is to get through him; as in talk to the _real_ Despair that is inside him."

"Yeah, I agree," replied Felix, wiping some sweat out of his forehead. "That's the only way I gu—"Felix didn't managed to even finish his sentence as they were both distracted when they heard _crack _sounds.

_Crack_ sounds that were coming from the Frozen Dark Despair.

Josh rolled his eyes in amazement.

"You have got to be ki—"

Suddenly, the ice cube shattered sending both of them flying and skidding across the floor. A loud roar emanating from it as it did. Apparently Dark Despair was angry. And angry he was. But with his sudden rush of freedom, came a price. With him being frozen for a while, it momentarily stunned him, making him dizzy from the sudden rush of things.

This, Josh and Felix used to the fullest. They immediately stood up and tried to get through to him, as he was now in his most vulnerable point.

"Despair! I know you're in there! Come on! Fight it!" exclaimed Josh, trying his best to get through to him.

"Yeah! Fight the control! You can do it! We're your friends! Remember?" added Felix.

It seemed pointless, but at that moment, it had worked.

"…Josh…Felix…?" said Dark Despair, looking at the two of them. Then all of a sudden, he roared as he gripped his head. The control of the Sorcerer on him seemed to have been waning but it wasn't giving up without a fight. And this fight was giving him one major headache.

Josh and Felix looked at each other and realized their tactic work. They quickly then returned to shouting at him, giving him words of encouragement; to fight the grip of the Sorcerer on him.

The roar caught the attention of the Sorcerer, making him turned his head.

Hunter tried to use this distraction as an advantage, but with quick reflexes, the Sorcerer blasted him back, sending him flying to Spyro and Bianca. The Sorcerer turned around and, using his staff, shot an arc lightning that struck Dark Despair head on. Everyone was baffled by what he was doing, and more so to Spyro, Hutner and Bianca who were now standing up again.

It seemed illogical for the Sorcerer to attack his ally.

But then again…what if he _wasn't_ attacking him?

That was when it dawned on Josh. The Sorcerer wasn't attacking Despair. He was fortifying the weakening control on him. And this was bad, because he and Felix had just managed to get through to him. If he succeeded, all effort will have been in vain.

"EVERYONE! GET THE SORCERER!" he exclaimed, firing an Ice Shot at the Sorcerer.

But before anything else could happen, the unexpected _literally_ happened.

It seemed time itself had slowed down when a bright light emanated from somewhere in the room. Turning around, Josh saw that it came from Despair himself. And to everyone in the room, the light was blindingly bright. It was as if a flashbang had exploded in the very front of their eyes.

But what they had heard, seemed to have changed everything.

"_WHAT!_ This is _IMPOSSIBLE!"_ exclaimed the Sorcerer.

Whatever had just happened, was clearly unexpected by the Sorcerer himself. Josh turned around just in time to see the arc of lightning he was using on Despair, literally ricochet back and hit him square in the body. It electrified him, and sent him flying to his machine. He smacked on it with a loud rumble, and crashed on the ground in a heap.

Josh couldn't help but think, '_Oh, that's gotta hurt'_.

"Josh's what's going on?" asked Felix, as the light grew brighter.

"I don't know Felix," he replied. "But whatever it is, I hope it's good."

Something about the Sorcerer's reaction to the light told him it was. And when the light faded, he saw a sight he never expected.

"…_Despair_?"

* * *

**Author's Notes: I apologize for this chapter having some errors and whatnot. This was a bit rushed.**

* * *

**Please take some time to R&R.**

**Please take some time to visit the website.**

**And favorite it, along with the author.**


	34. Chapter 34 Conqueror's Respite

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Hey hey hey! Another chapter update!**

**Felix: YEY!**

**Josh: That's great!**

**Despair: Enough talk! I want to read it!**

**Alec: Wow...**

**Richer: Ditto.**

**Zayril: Disclaimer time then!**

**Alec, Josh and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Despair: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair. Alec Krest belongs to Alec the Dark Angel.**

* * *

Chapter 34

Conqueror's Respite

"…_Despair_?"

Standing before Josh was something he had never expected to say the least. Despair…was…completely different. His black scales and yellow underbelly…were no longer there. Instead they were replaced. Replaced by a color Josh didn't expect. His scales were replaced with silver as his underbelly was now brown. His horns were still yellow, but his eyes, which were blood red, now turned into bluish-green hue.

His yellow spikes were still yellow, along with his trident like tail blade. His wings however, had now changed into a sky blue of color.

Overall, he was…really_ different_.

The silver dragon turned to look at Josh and he froze in fear. He wasn't quite sure yet if this was actually an ally or not.

But it seemed to be the former.

"Josh…Felix…?" asked the silver dragon, as he slowly approached them.

"Despair…?" asked Felix, not quite sure what to do. Despair smirked.

He was about to say something but was cut off as suddenly, a large blast of lightning came roaring at them. He immediately went to Josh and Felix's side, summoning, to Josh's surprise, a large wall of pure ice. This was a complete surprise for him as he knew Despair was an electric dragon, not an ice dragon.

The lightning was deflected by the ice wall and Despair popped out at the side, and fired off two boulders at the Sorcerer, consecutively. Josh could only look in awe as he did so. It would seem that Despair had a lot of tricks up his sleeve. And it would seem he wasn't running out. Spyro, Hunter and Bianca were all in awe as well as they didn't expect Despair to be like this.

He was literally fighting it out with the Sorcerer.

And the Sorcerer was losing.

The boulders he had sent off headed straight to the Sorcerer. The Sorcerer managed to deflect one with his staff, but the sheer power it took drained him, disabling him from deflecting the _other_ boulder. It collided with him, making even Felix close his eyes momentarily the boulder shattered into bits and pieces as it did so, sending the Sorcerer flying back to the Shadow Amplifier, with a loud _thud_.

"This…is…_impossible…_I _cannot_ be…defeated…" he said, under his breath, as he tried to get up again.

"Give it up already!" exclaimed Spyro as they watched from the sidelines.

"…_Not…yet…_" said the Sorcerer, standing up, perseverance clear in his eyes.

Then at that moment, it seem like the _real_ battle began.

The Sorcerer roared and his staff began to glow. Everyone got on their guard as the final boss battle was about to begin. This was it. This was the real deal; it was really, _really_, is it, _is it_.

And it really was.

The Sorcerer roared once again and time, he attacked without holding back. All around him, fireballs, lighting, ice cold sharp icicles and large boulders appeared, and was flung straight at Josh and the others. The Fireballs, which glowed red hot and soared through the air, exploded into smaller, mini fireballs that exploded in contact; it was exploding everywhere. Accompanied by the ice shards, boulders and lighting, it was deadly to get caught in the Elemental Storm.

And all of this was headed straight for them.

Josh braced himself for the worst as he clocked the needed speed to dodge all of this. It would be foolish to think you'd come out unscathed, but he had to try. As it came right at them, he immediately made an ice wall right in front of him to dodge the oncoming electric bold which soared to through the air. Right next to him, Hunter moved as fast as he could to dodge the large boulder which rolled in front of him. Spyro on the other was faced with a large number of ice shards which he melted as fast as he could with his fire element.

Everyone was trying their best to survive the wave of attacks the Sorcerer through at them. The Elemental Storm was strong, but it, like all attacks, had its end.

And it came up sooner than it did. The Sorcerer being weak as he was, had drastically drained and limited his power of prolonging the storm, so he had to stop in order to keep himself alive. Otherwise, the battle would've ended sooner.

But this meant one thing.

It was their turn, and it was Despair who took the initiative.

Josh looked at him as he slowly backed up and energy seemed to gather at his maw. It reminded him of Spyro, charging his Convexity attack, back at Neo Dragon Realms. But this one…it seemed different. The Sorcerer on the other hand, looked up with horror.

"NO!" he exclaimed and tried to distract Despair by firing a fireball at him.

But it was too late, just before it even got flung at him; Despair opened his maw and unleashed his breath. It was a bright silver light breath, unlike anything Josh had ever seen before. It blinded him completely and he could see the Sorcerer get engulfed by the light, the Shadow Amplifier along with him. He covered his eyes as the light momentarily blinded him. The Sorcerer audibly roared and a sound of something being unlocked sounded as well.

But as soon as it began, it was all over.

The light faded and what was once where the Sorcerer stood, was instead just a smoking, charred floor, the dragon completely gone. The Shadow Amplifier on the other hand was still the same as ever, but it didn't seem to be alive. The white balls in the tubes were no longer there.

It was a victory worth celebrating. And they were about to.

That was until…

The Shadow Amplifier began to shake violently in front of the group, and then all of a sudden, it exploded. In doing so, it created one humongous Portal Flux that began to suck everything in it. The wind began to howl as the Flux sucked anything into it. Josh felt his claws scrape the ground as he slowly started getting sucked into it.

"I think it's time for us to leave!" exclaimed Felix.

"No problem there!" exclaimed Bianca.

"Everyone, head for the door!" shouted Despair as he started running for the two double white doors the gang had entered through earlier.

But it was impossible then.

The suction that was being created by the Portal Flux had developed too strongly and now, it was impossible to escape it. Josh's eyes widened as he realized this fact whilst turning his head to look at the Portal Flux.

"NO! NOT AGAIN!" exclaimed Felix, trying desperately to run towards the door. But, as if a rope had been tied to him, the Flux was pulling him away from it, speed gradually increasing.

"Guys! Let's not get separated! Everyone, stick together!" shouted Despair over the rush of things.

Spyro, Hunter and Bianca heard this as well and immediately held hands to each other. In doing so, at least wherever they get chucked out by the Flux, they'd be together. Felix, Despair and Josh all did this as well. They tied their tails and held each other in a hugging manner, like a group hug. Josh sighed as he braced himself for the worst. He hoped that wherever this Flux sends him, it was a good place for a change.

"If we live through this," he began, as he looked at Despair and Felix. "It'll be an awesome story to tell."

Despair and Felix smiled. The suction then increased and before Josh knew it, they were sucked right into the Flux. Everything around him darkened and he closed his eyes as he lost consciousness from exhaustion.

0 0 0 0 0

He sighed as he looked at his watch. The short hand pointed to two whilst the longer hand pointed in one bar behind eleven. That was the current time. 2:54 PM. The date was showed next to it. June 7 2010.

Rubbing his head, he made some mental calculations and came up with an answer.

"2 hours…and 54 minutes," he said to himself. "Where on earth are you Josh?"

"Terrence! Anything?" asked a classmate of his.

"Nothing yet Alec; sorry," replied Terrence. "What did Izzy say?"

"He said that they've searched the grounds, even asked some personnel. But no one has seen him," answered Alec.

Terrence sighed in despair. It was official, Josh Wilbert, his friend, was missing. He had gone missing and the last person he was with was Max Windsor, one of the tour guides. That was 2 hours and 54 minutes earlier. And that was also the time that earthquake happened. Izrayl, one of Terrence's friends, had decided to ask Mr. Windsor where Josh was, but they couldn't find him. Even with the help of Alec, another friend of Terrence, there was still no dice.

It seemed hopeless. And they had to find him quick. There fieldtrip was about to end in just a few hours, and they haven't reported this yet to any of the teachers; in hope of finding him quickly and not making any much fuss. But it would seem they wouldn't be able to find him if the three of them were just the ones combing the Dig Site. Terrence sighed. He knew it was time to report this to the teachers.

Just then, Izzy came around the corner.

"Anything yet?" he asked. Alec shook his head. "Dang it…"

"It's over guys. I think it's time we report this," said Terrence sadly. Alec and Izzy nodded.  
"Good plan," said Alec. Izzy nodded.

A decision made the three of them made their way outside, seeing as they decided to meet up at the bathroom hall. The sun was now slowly setting and the yellow rays were slowly being warmer, no longer hot. Afternoon was setting in. Looking around for a teacher, they spotted one and approached him.

"Mr. Lisav, Krest, Arvos; what is it?" asked the teacher, looking at the three of them.

"Umm…Sir James, I think we have a problem," said Alec.

"What is it?" asked the teacher.

"It's about Josh, Sir Bates," added Izzy.

"What about him?" asked their teacher, James Bates.

"He's…um…mi—"

But Terry was cut off cause at that moment; a _strong_ earthquake shook the earth. Kind of like the same one that shook them at 12 PM.

* * *

**Author's Notes: I apologize for this chapter having some errors and whatnot. This was a bit rushed.**

* * *

**Please take some time to R&R.**

**Please take some time to visit the website.**

**And favorite it, along with the author.**


	35. Chapter 35 Unsettling Prospect

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Chapter just hot off the press!**

**Alec: Just made it in time!**

**Josh: *looks at chapter* Flashback!**

**Felix: Wow...**

**Richer: Beating the deadline again Z!**

**Despair: I want to read it! Disclaimer time!**

**Alec, Josh and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Despair: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair. **

* * *

Chapter 35

Unsettling Prospect

Josh felt like he was hit with a truck that carried cement going over 100 mph. His body ached all over, he was surprised that he was still alive and hasn't died yet from pain overdose. His mind felt scattered as sand as he couldn't think properly.

It was giving him one strong headache, but luckily, was ebbing slowly away. Eventually, Josh's senses came back and soon he got the sense of smell. Though, much of a useful sense, he didn't smell anything that was worth noticing. Next sense that came to him was his sense of touch.

He felt that he was lying on something soft, as his paws touched the thing he was lying on. It was soft; grass was the first thing that registered in his mind. It was the only thing that was logical.

After his sense of touch, came his sense of hearing. It was mostly mute at most, but when it started recognizing sound, he was able to hear again. The first thing he heard was his breathing.

At least he was sure he was alive. And not dying.

But then…he heard something.

Something alien; something he wasn't really expecting.

_beep…beep…beep…_

The sound of _beeping_ echoed in his ears. That didn't make sense. No animal or thing could ever emit a sound like that, wherever he was. That sound could only be made by a machine. A machine that doesn't even exist in the world they were in.

Machines like that were at the Professor's Lab. And he knew for a fact, he wasn't in the lab. He was lying on grass.

But the beeping…the beeping felt familiar to him.

It was like he had heard of it somewhere.

**~FLASHBACK~**

**Time Frame: Chapter 22, **_**The Blue Dragon**_**, Josh's POV**

Josh was running down the streets. As soon as he heard the news, he immediately got off the computer and headed down to the location as soon as he could. Watching that news report, it gave him a new sense of hope. Hope that his friend was finally back.

He checked his green bomber jacket and jeans as he rushed, wanting to at least look presentable.

"_Thank you, Austin." he began. "It was reported here, in the suburban town of Drakos, situated outside Ibaduil city, that Demex Windsor, had disappeared. Demex Windsor, a fifteen year old; who was said to be last seen going to his bed on late night of March 9, 2010; before he disappeared of the face of the earth. Now though, today, March 16 2010, exactly one week he was reported missing, is the day it was officially announced…" dramatic pause. "…he was found, alive." reported Jonah._

_"Last night, at around 9:00 PM, his unconscious body was found at-"he was cut off as one of the news crew ran to him and whispered in his ear._

"_Okay, okay. Got it." he acknowledged as he understood. The crew member then stepped out of the shot._

"_We're sorry for the interruption folks." he then cleared his throat. "It appears that Federal Law prohibits us from releasing information on the whereabouts of his finding. We are though, allowed to tell you where he is now. Demex is now currently resting, at the building behind me, at Drakos Medical Center, in the care of the medical staff along with his friends and family. He's currently being treated there, due to severe head injury; either caused by a rock or something in a similar manner, says the medical staff. He is now currently in a coma due to the injury. Let us all pray that he'll pull through. This is Jonah Ferroli, reporting to you live at Drakos Medical Center; back to you Austin." finished Jonah and the news report was over._

Josh soon arrived at the Drakos Medical Center and immediately went to the room where Josh was in. He knew this, as along the way, he asked the nurse where his best friend was. His room was on the 7th floor, 5th door on the right, opposite a window that had 5 window panels. The number of the room was Room 355.

Heading in, he opened the door, and there, he saw his friend, Demex Windsor, whose face looked like it was mauled by a dog.

When he entered, he was greeted with the familiar sound of the ECG; the Electric Cardiogram.

_beep…beep…beep…_

**~END OF FLASHBACK~**

_beep…beep…beep…_

Josh's mind, which was now in a relaxed state, immediately went into overdrive as it realized what those three familiar sounds were. They _were_ the sounds of an ECG. But that didn't make any sense; he shouldn't be able to hear those unless. By this time, Josh's sense of sight and his ability to move was back, and he immediately took use of it.

He sat up so fast, he even surprised himself.

Opening his eyes, it took a moment for him to realize where he was, since his eyes had to shift and refocus.

But when it did…

It took his breath away.

He looked around and saw that he was in a room; some sort of medical room. He looked to his left and saw the machine emitting the sound. It was an Electrocardiogram. And apparently, the machine was hooked up to him. The'grass' he thought earlier, was actually the comfort of the bed he was apparently sleeping on.

It felt like a dream to him.

But it wasn't.

And he smacked himself just to check.

But in doing so, he got a handful of his paws. Or so he thought. He looked at his limbs and saw that they were _hands_ again. All 2 hands, including 5 fingers; it was all there. His human hands were back to his body again. He looked down on himself and saw that his body was back the way it was. He was a _human_ again.

Using his hands, he felt his head.

No horns. No more dragon maw; no frills; just an ordinary human head that belonged to Josh Wilbert.

At this realization, came more revelations.

Memories of what had transpired, last time he was awake rushed through him, memory after memory. Chains of memories appeared before him, giving him brief overviews of what he could remember at best. And it reminded him of something.

Where was Despair and Felix?

Questions buzzed through his head as he got off the bed. Taking the sticker attachment of the ECG of his arm, he tried to stand up on his two legs again and nearly fell as his balance was off. No doubt because of the lack of his tail. He felt puny and vulnerable. But once more, he remembered that this happened to Demex as well. And he was turned human too once he arrived back here at the Other World.

But his main concern was Felix and Despair. Did they get turned into human too?

…or something far greatly worse…

'_But…what if…they didn't!'_ He thought to himself, his eyes widening once he realized the gravity of the situation.

He knew _exactly_ what _would_ happen if they _didn't_ turn into humans and he hoped for the best that they _did_ turn into humans. If it were otherwise, all sorts of heck would break loose. Before the even knew it, they'd be sent to the government and be done with all sorts of experiments. And Josh wouldn't want that to happen.

That would be the worst case scenario.

Heading to the door, trying not to trip due to misbalance, he eventually did and troubled with the doorknob. He never knew being a dragon for so long, which was about 6 days, could affect his motor skills so badly.

But inevitably, his human skills kicked in and he eventually opened the door after some fumbling with the doorknob. It swung open, and he saw that he was at the 2nd floor, 1st room on the right, opposite a window that had 6 panels on it and had 1 potted plant under the window. His room was actually Room 079. The hotel had a weird room numbering system which he never delved into knowing why.

But before he could even get out, he bumped into something.

"Ugh! Hey!"

It was apparently someone.

"Josh!" said the voice, as he helped Josh up. Josh had fallen down when he bumped into the person. Looking up, Josh was surprised to find Max Windsor; Demex's father.

"Max?" he asked, completely surprised.

"What are you doing out of bed? You should be re—hey! You're awake!" he changed mid sentence when realized something.

"Uh…I am awake now," said Josh, trying to get past him now.

He didn't have time for small chat. He needed to secure Despair and Felix's location immediately as soon as possible. But it had to wait, no matter how urgent it was, as Max pushed him back inside and forced him to sit down back at the bed.

"I'm fine, Max, please," said Josh whilst he fidgeted.

"What's the rush Josh? You should be glad you're alive! You just got out of a coma!"

This caught Josh's attention.

"A _coma!_" he exclaimed.

"You're parents have been worried sick about you! You just missed them though," said Max.

But Max's statement just went by Josh's ears. The realization had unsettled him. He was out cold for _one_ week.

One week…7 days…168 hours…10080 minutes…604800 seconds.

_What if I am already too late…?_

* * *

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**And favorite it, along with the author.**


	36. Chapter 36 After the Prospect

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Hey guys! Here's an update!**

**Alec: This seems late.**

**Richer: Because it is.**

**Josh: Zayril had things to do so he didn't have enough time to finish it on his deadline.**

**Felix: But it's here anyway!**

**Zayril: And that's what matters!**

**Despair: I want to read it!**

**Zayril: Disclaimers time!**

**Alec, Josh and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Despair: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair.**

* * *

Chapter 36

After the Prospect

_What if I am already too late…?_

Josh's breathing went fast as the thought crossed his mind. He didn't want to think that. Whatever happens, he didn't want to think that. He even hit himself to scold himself as to why he even thought of it. Max on the other hand dismissed this as a question popped up in his mind.

It was a question that would turn everything, literally around; for Josh that is.

"Hey Josh?" asked Max. Josh's train of thought derailed as he looked at Max.

"What is it?"

"Who were those two?"

"Two?"

"You know; the two people that were with you."

"Two people…? I don't know any—"

**~FLASHBACK~**

**Time Frame: Chapter 36, Unsettling Prospect**

Where was Despair and Felix?

Questions buzzed through his head as he got off the bed. Taking the sticker attachment of the ECG of his arm, he tried to stand up on his two legs again and nearly fell as his balance was off. No doubt because of the lack of his tail. He felt puny and vulnerable. But once more, he remembered that this happened to Demex as well. And he was turned human too once he arrived back here at the Other World.

But his main concern was Felix and Despair. Did they get turned into human too?

**~END OF FLASHBACK~**

"Uh…Josh?" asked Max, snapping his fingers in front of him to grab his attention. "Earth to Josh…!"

Josh finally snapped out of his flashback. _What if_…?

"Where are these two people _right_ now? Can you describe them!" he asked frantically. Max was surprised with the sudden question, but nonetheless answered.

"Well…the two of them were male, one was the same age as you, had silver hair. And the other was…young. Very young; like a kinder-garden; he had red hair on the other hand. Do you know these two people? We found them lying next to you…" he trailed.

"Is there something else?" asked Josh.

"Well…we found them…lying next to you…_naked_. Do you have anything to do with this?" asked Max, getting serious.

Josh's train of thought completely derailed at that point as he was surprised by the odd response.

"Wait…_what?_ _Naked_?" he asked, wondering what the heck was going on.

"Yeah, they were," answered Max, realizing how stupid that had sounded than he thought.

"So…where are these two persons, _right_ _now_?" asked Josh.

"They're right next door. No one could recognize them and it would seem no one knew them. Since they were in the same condition as you were in when you…_arrived_. I shouldered their care and got them fixed up too."

Josh nodded, as he walked outside along with Max. Max led the way and he opened the door right next to Josh's and entered. The room was practically the same with Josh, except in this case, there were two identical beds, with identical equipment, and both were occupied.

When Josh's saw the occupants, he didn't know what to think.

Just like Max described them, the two persons had their unique trademark hair. The child had his red wild hair which gave Josh a sense that he had seen a hairstyle like that before in a game. The other had the silver hair that belonged to a teenager, same age with him. Both were sleeping soundly and not bothered in any way of their entrance to their room.

"So…do you know these two?" asked Max.

Josh bit his lip. If his theory was right, he knew exactly who these two were.

"I think I do…" Max looked at him as he scratched his chin.

"Mind telling me?" Josh sighed and motioned for him to seat down.

"Take a seat, this may take awhile."

0 0 0 0 0

Seeing as Max was Demex's father, Josh had no problem explaining to him the situation. Max was well thoughtful enough to not ask questions that would hinder Josh from explaining the whole story. Josh began from the very beginning; at the point of what happened when he got sucked into the Portal. From there, he recounted the meeting he had with Spyro's foster brother, Sparx, up to the point of meeting Demex.

But he did leave one teeny tiny detail. He forgot to mention that Demex had kids.

Whether unknowingly or not, he mentioned Felix and Demila, but did not mention their relationship with Demex. Max was too busy taking in the detail that he forgot to ask who exactly the two dragons were. From then on he proceeded at how everything slowly started shifting when the Flux happened, up to the point when Despair appeared.

Then in quick summarization, he summarized to Max what they were doing here, and what happened as to why they were here.

"So you defeated the Sorcerer?" asked Max.

"Absolutely," said Josh. "He was disintegrated when Despair shot that breath at him." Max nodded.

"So…if my theory is correct, then these two persons here is Felix," said Josh pointing to the red haired boy. "And Despair," he said, pointing to the silver haired one.

"Wow…," said Max as he looked at the two.

There was a bit of silence shared as Max took in all the information whilst Josh rested a bit. The only thing audible was the sound of the ECG.

"So Josh; was it good?" asked Max, turning to look at Josh.

"Was what good?" Josh wondered.

"Being a dragon and all," replied Max. "Was it good?"

"I guess…" said Josh.

At that question, everything Josh experienced rushed through him like images on a computer screen. Every memory, every experience, everything; everything that had ever happened to him when he became a dragon; it was something he had never thought off. And now that he did, it had caught him off guard; literally.

Was the experience all that good? Was it all that worth it?

**~FLASHBACK~**

**Time Frame: Chapter 2, Verve**

His imagination running wild and making dragons come to life. At times, he imagined himself being a dragon as well, flying alongside Demex, the two of them having the time of their life.

**~END OF FLASHBACK~**

He got what he always imagined. The question was:

Was everything literally worth it?

Josh thought hard and long at this question. He placed everything into consideration; him achieving to be able to fly; him being to be able to spew ice directly from his mouth; meeting dragons he always thought to have been just a myth; meeting videogame characters that he never imagined to have been real; forming strong bonds with friends he never thought he would actually be able to do.

_Everything_.

Slowly, an answer came to his lips.

"…It was worth it." Max nodded.

And at that point, one of the persons in bed began to stir.

Josh and Max's head all snapped to their attention and watched as Despair slowly rose from bed and looked around sleepily. All he uttered was a lazy groan. He looked around and stared at Josh as he walked over to him.

"Where am I…?" asked Despair, looking at Josh as if seeing the first light of his life.

"Despair…this all may be a shock to you but…I'm Josh," said Josh, introducing himself to the dragon turned human.

"Josh…?" asked Despair. "You're not Josh…Josh is supposed to be a dragon at this mo…" he trailed as his eyes gazed to his hands.

This seemed to have snapped him back into reality quite quickly as Josh anticipated. All the while Max left discreetly for reasons he didn't voice out; this was something Josh didn't notice until he actually left.

"Max?" asked Josh looking around.

"I'm a…I'm a…I'm a…_human,_" said Despair going slightly nervous.

"Don't panic," said Josh, trying to get him to not panic.

This seemed to work.

"Josh, what's going on!" asked Despair, looking at him, seriously, worriedly and nervously, all at the same time.

At least Despair recognized Josh. This made things easier.

"Okay…calm down, Despair, calm down," said Josh, trying his best to control the situation.

"Okay…" said, Despair, breathing in and out.

Josh then quickly summarized to him where they were and what had happened.

"So the Flux sent us here?" asked Despair, rubbing his head.

"Yeah," answered Josh.

"How long have we been here?" Despair asked.

"A week, at most," replied Josh.

"_A WEEK!_" exclaimed Despair.

Josh was surprised at his reaction but then again, who wouldn't be surprised to know that you've been asleep for over a week.

"Yeah…it's been a week; listen can you stand?" asked Josh.

"Upright? I guess I can try," said Despair as he took of the blanket off him, clumsily off course as he wasn't used to his human anatomy. With the aid of Josh, he managed to get his two legs on the ground and put him in a sitting position.

"Why do I feel like a Physical Trainer training someone to walk again…" mumbled Josh under his breath.

This was going to be tough.

He had two persons to go under rehabilitation, and he was the only doctor.

* * *

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	37. Chapter 37 Truth of the Matter

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Hey guys! Sorry for this late chapter.**

**Josh: Late as in SUPER late.**

**Felix: Yeah, and that's because Zayril was BUSY. As in SUPER BUSY.**

**Richer: Will you two just keep quiet.**

**Despair: I want to read it!**

**Zayril: Well okay, but before the disclaimers, I would like to thank Alec the Dark Angel for his tremendous help in this chapter.**

**Alec: Glad I could help! And now, for the disclaimers!**

**Alec, Josh and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Despair: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair.**

* * *

Chapter 37

Truth of the Matter

After about an hour of training, Despair was finally getting the hang of walking on two legs. He was still a little wobbly though without the use of a tail. It was a strange sensation for him to not have wings or a tail.

"You're getting the hang of it," said Josh, who was helping Despair to walk.

"How do humans walk on two legs without the help of a tail for balance?" asked Despair.

"Well, I think it has to do with the fact that that's how our bodies were made. We just naturally..." Josh turned around quickly when he heard shifting in the other bed. Josh's sudden movement caused Despair to loose his crutch and topple over.

Josh helped Despair back on his feet before going over to check on Felix. The young dragon turned human cracked open his eyes as he began to regain his senses. The first thing he noticed was that he was in a white room. But his vision was still blurry. Then let out yawn before clutching his head as he then felt his head throbbing.

"Ow, my head! What happened?" complained Felix before realizing that when he clutched his head, his horns were gone, "W-what happened to my horns! Did they break off!"

The beeping of the ECG that was hooked up to Felix began to quicken. "Felix, settle down. Everything's alright...sorta." said Josh as he tried to calm Felix down.

Felix looked up at Josh and tried to back away, "Who are you! What are you!" asked Felix nervously.

Despair decided to ease the tension with a sense of humor, "Are you telling me you don't recognize your friends? It's us, Despair and Josh."

"What are you...?" Felix paused when he saw his...hand! Suddenly, the beeping of the ECG quickened again.

"Relax Felix. You're fine. You're just in the realm that your father grew up in," said Josh trying to calm Felix down.

"You mean...I'm in the Other World?" asked Felix as he slightly began to calm down, "Then that means..."

"That you're human," said Josh, finishing Felix's statement.

"I'm...human?" asked Felix. Then a huge grin spread across his face, "This is so BOOTLEG!"

The outburst caught Despair and Josh completely surprise. That was the last thing Josh expected to come out of Felix's mouth.

That was a human term.

He must've been _very_ fast learner.

Felix tried standing up afterwards, and most notably fell down. He staggered, and it was only the help of Josh did he managed to somehow get some balance. Despair on the other hand was already walking around the room, if ever so slowly. He was like a paraplegic learning to walk again.

"I think I can do it…" said Felix, after feeling his feet.

It must've felt different for him. Josh was of course, human to begin with, so he didn't have trouble. But his two companions were used to being quadruped; this must've been a new learning experience for the two of them. And Josh had two of them, so he got a handful of two dragon turned human to teach. And in such short notice; Felix on the other hand was enjoying every moment of it.

"So this was how father was?" he asked giddily, walking around, tipsily.

"Yes Felix and be careful!" said Josh, worrying about him greatly. He looked like he could fall down any minute.

"Don't worry Josh! I think I've got the hang of it," he said, managing to actually twirl on one foot. But after spinning, he got slightly dizzy and actually clung on the wall. Despair chuckled.

"That was….different!" said Felix, being ecstatic about this whole ordeal.

"How are you faring Despair?" asked Josh, walking over to him.

"Fine…I guess. This walking on two legs thing is challenging. But I think I'm coping."

Josh nodded, feeling happy that his two friends were fast learners.

Just then, the door opened and in came in Max with a big bag. He was surprised to see Felix and Despair awake, but nonetheless entered. Despair tried to be on his guard but failed miserably, seeing as quick actions were still incapable to him. Felix on the other hand just looked warily.

"It seems you two are awake, good," said Max. Josh looked and saw the two were tense. He remembered that the two didn't actually know the guy.

"Guys, relax, this is Max; a friend." Max waved to them as he opened the bag whilst Felix and Despair introduced themselves.

"Nice to meet you Max," said the two in sync.

"I'm Despair."

"And I'm Felix!"

"Nice to meet you two; now…can you three come over here for a while?" asked Max, getting some things in the bag.

"What is it Max?" asked Josh.

"I got you some spare clothes. That's why I went away for a bit," said Max, handing each of them some sets of clothes. Josh got himself a yellow shirt, Felix, an orange shirt and Despair a black shirt. And they each got a set of underwear, along with some shorts.

"Uh…How do I wear this?" asked Despair.

"Oh my gas…" was the entire thing Josh could say.

"Uh…I'll leave you three to your endeavor. I'll be waiting outside once you three have a change of clothes."

With that, Max left, leaving Josh to helping his two companions into their clothing. Not that he minded, but the entire thought of it made it feel so awkward to him.

"Well…okay, Despair, Felix, I need you two to take your clothes off…" said Josh, just sighing.

And as Max closed the door behind him, he overheard Felix say, "Hey Josh! I have a tail!"

0 0 0 0 0

A few minutes later, the door opened and Max turned his head to see the three boys strode off in front of him and align in somewhat of a row. Josh was at the middle, looking tired.

"I never knew teaching people how to wear clothes was tiring," said Josh.

"_What!_ How was I supposed to know that that was supposed to be the hole for your head!" said Despair, pointing to his head section.

"Well, as you three were changing clothes, I went downstairs and got you three each discharged. Josh," said Max turning to Josh. "Your parents are coming over to meet you."

"What!" exclaimed Josh.

"Well, that is normal, they were worried sick about you," said Max.

"Well it would be nice to meet Josh's parents," said Despair.

"No Despair. It's not that. I can't…face them…now."

Everyone turned to Josh surprised at his statement.

"Why? What's wrong Josh? Are you in bad terms with your parents?" asked Felix. He shook his head vigorously.

"No. It's not that. It's because…"

Josh sighed. This was a tough one.

"…you two are still here. What will I say to them? I don't even know what reason I can come up with to tell them what happened to me. Let alone, what if, I have to go back? Back to the Neo Dragon Realms…what then; I can't tell them that I'm leaving. Nor can I _run away_," explained Josh. "And, I can't leave you two behind. What if something bad happened back at Neo Dragon Realms?"

Josh was once again presented with a dilemma with no clear answer. He couldn't tell his parents of his situation. It's not that he _couldn't _tell them, but it was about them _believing_ him. Demex's parents believed him when he needed to go back; would _his_ parents be the same?

"Josh…" began Max. "I think…the best thing is…you should just tell them. Tell them of your situation. It's for the best anyway. They're your parents and they have the right to know, _at least_, what's going on with you."

Josh thought hard, deeply and long before coming up with an answer.

He nodded.

"I guess you're right. I'll just tell them and hope for the best."

0 0 0 0 0

The elevator edged downward as Max pressed the down button. Felix and Despair both stared at their surroundings, both awestruck. Josh on the other hand looked at their faces and remembered something quite important.

"Despair, Felix," addressed Josh. The two turned to face him. "Since you two are now _humans_, you have to _act_ like humans." Felix raised a brow.

"How?" Felix asked curiously.

"Well…just…try not to wander off and talk to strangers. People you don't know. Avoid eye contact, and speaking with anyone, aside from us, are best done for now. Understand?" asked Josh.

Despair and Felix nodded. They could do that. That wasn't much of a problem.

Then at that moment, the elevator _dinged_, making Felix and Despair startled, but they regained their composure. The door opened and out they were at the Hospital Lobby. The Hospital Lobby was pretty much the same as any normal hospital lobby. The area was filled with chairs, along with some patients and nurses walking around. Since it was late at the afternoon, and visiting hours for the normally housed patients were over, there were fewer people.

Despair and Felix couldn't help but stare at the people all over them. This was the first time they saw a lot of people at one area. And it amazed them.

"I'll just go to the Reception Desk and confirm your discharge," said Max.

"I guess we'll wait here then," said Josh.

He approached one of the old generic hospital chairs bolted to the ground, and sat on it. Despair and Felix did the same, but their heads were turning everywhere, still taking in everything.

Josh sighed as he felt the gravity of the situation presented to him. How would he even begin to tell his parents?

* * *

**Author's Notes: To all my readers:**

**If there are some errors in this chapter, I am sorry. I REALLY RUSHED in doing this.**

* * *

**Please take some time to R&R.**

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	38. Chapter 38 Revelations

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Hey guys! Just made it in time for the deadline!**

**Josh: Awesome!**

**Felix: Close one!**

**Richer: Will you two just keep quiet.**

**Despair: I want to read it!**

**Zayril: Well okay.**

**Alec: Time for the disclaimers!**

**Alec, Josh and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Despair: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair.**

* * *

Chapter 38

Revelations

Josh sighed at the thought of it all. He tried his best to think of the best way to say it but he just couldn't of the right words, let alone the right idea to begin with. His parents…he didn't how would they react to the situation he was in.

Plus, the fact that Despair and Felix were his best friends didn't help the situation either. He had to get them home. Of course, he had to ensure their safety, by sticking to each other till the end.

**~FLASHBACK~**

**Time Frame: Chapter 23, The Sendoff**

Josh approached his two companions, a sheepish smile on his face.

"Finally decided eh?" asked Despair.

"What made you come?" asked Felix.

"Well, I couldn't abandon you two. I can't abandon you Despair, you're my best friend. I can't abandon you Felix. You're my best friend's son. And that makes you my best friend. And best friends _stick_ _together…till the end._" he replied, like a well done speech.

**~END OF FLASHBACK~**

Josh's thinking was completely derailed when he felt someone tap his shoulder.

"Huh?"

He turned his head and shock was the only expression he could muster. It was his parents, Jared Wilbert, his father, and Rose Wilbert, his mother, stood before him. The two of them had warm smiles on their faces and Josh, at that moment, felt happy. It seemed like a _long_ time since he last met his parents.

Of course, it _really_ wasn't, but to him, it felt like an eternity.

Two pairs of arms wrapped around him as he stood up and was hugged by his parents.

"Josh! Thank goodness you're safe!" said his father as he was hugged by him.

"We were so worried when you got into a coma!" said his mother, bursting to tears right then and there.

"It's okay mom. I'm fine now," said Josh.

It was a heartwarming reunion. Go figure.

Felix looked at Josh and the two humans who had approached and hugged him. Connecting the dots, he realized who they were. They were his parents. His human parents; and at that moment, Felix felt a hole in his heart ache. It was a hole that was normally filled up and was warm with love. It was the hole…where his family usually was kept stored.

Felix…felt homesick.

"Don't worry Felix, we'll get you home. I promise. And I guess I speak for Josh as well," said Despair, turning to face him. It would seem Despair felt Felix's problem.

"Thanks Despair," said Felix hugging him.

At that moment, Felix thought he heard Despair say "_…hmm…that's odd_." but thought otherwise.

0 0 0 0 0

After the much awaited reunion between the Wilbert Family, Despair and Felix were soon introduced. But before Jared or Rose could even ask questions about whom Despair and Felix exactly were Max came in to the fray.

"Rose! Jared!" exclaimed Max, surprised to see the other two adults.

"Max! Thank you for informing us!" exclaimed Jared.

"It was nothing. It's the least I could do," said Max. Jared and Rose smiled warmly at Max, before turning to Josh.

"Now; let's get you home Josh," said Rose.

"I…_I can't_…"

This was it. This was the turning point.

Josh had finally decided. Finally, that he was going to tell his parents, and follow Max's advice. Tell him of what _really_ happened to him. Everything; he could only hope that they'll understand him and _not_ throw him in the crazy room.

_Here goes nothing_…

"What are you talking about Josh?" asked Jared, looking at his son.

"I'm sorry dad…I can't go back home," said Josh, avoiding eye contact.

"Why son? It's your home. Why can't you come back home…?" asked Rose.

"It's…it's because…I have a duty…" said Josh, trying to use the best words possible.

"And that duty is…?" asked Jared.

There was silence just for a bit, as Josh tried to string a sentence. The most coherent sentence he could ever possibly make, as to not shock his parents of the revelation that was about to come.

"…is…I'll tell all. I'll tell you two the main reason why I had a coma. Why I disappeared when we were having a field trip. And I'll even tell you who these two are. Along with the fact of how Max is connected as well. I'll tell it all, along with the reason why I can't come back home," explained Josh.

Josh's parents were both in quite clear shock. They were confused on what on earth their son was talking about. But whatever it was, it seemed that it was serious. His tone itself was serious.

"…And, Josh will tell you that, at our place. For the sake of safety," said Max, cutting Josh, before he could say no more.

"Sake of safety?" asked Rose worriedly.

"What has Josh gotten into?" asked Jared, looking at Max warily.

"Don't worry…it's not that serious…_per se_."

"_Per se!"_ asked Rose, starting to sound more worried now.

"Max? _What's going on_?" asked Jared, starting to approach Max.

"We promise to tell you everything, at the Windsor's house, I keep my word on it dad," said Josh, saving Max from any oncoming trouble.

This stopped Jared and Rose from doing anything rash.

"Rendezvous at around 7 PM, at Windsor's house, everything will be told there," said Josh, completing the agreement.

0 0 0 0 0

And just like that, Josh set the agreement. Rose and Jared didn't have any say on the matter, seeing as it was for their own good. They had no choice but to comply with the agreement, seeing as there was nothing really bad about it. And of course, Josh himself promised to keep his word that everything will be answered at their meeting.

So as they drove to the Windsor's House, Josh couldn't help but sigh, seeing as whatever happened back at the Hospital Lobby, was finally over. Despair was up front, sitting at the side of the driver, whilst Felix was busy looking around beside Josh. This _was_ his first time inside a _human_ car.

"So…what exactly happened back there anyway?" asked Despair.

"In summarization, Josh's parents are about to become secret keepers as well, like me and Jennifer," said Max as he turned at the corner.

"Yeah…and hopefully they won't think I'm crazy at first," said Josh.

"Don't worry, you have evidence don't you?" asked Max.

"Well…," said Josh, feeling a bit worried. What exactly was their evidence?  
"I think you ought to try transforming right in front of them, just like how Demex did it," suggested Max.

**~FLASHBACK~**

**Time Frame: Chapter 24, **_**The Blue Dragon**_**, Back Again**

"Okay. Just sit still and watch." said Demex closing his eyes and concentrating.

Demex concentrated and followed Ignitus' instructions. He closed his eyes and accessed his dragon powers and let it out on his body. In a matter of seconds, the same familiar feeling of coldness enveloped him.

Josh's eyes widened as he saw Demex get encased in ice right before his eyes.

"What the heck…" he said as he slowly stood up.

He wanted to approach the ice cube but at the same time was rooted to place from fear of it. Then as quickly as it appeared the ice cube shattered. He, Max and Jennifer covered their faces with their hands, expecting ice fragments to hit them…but it never did. The ice disappeared off to thin air. Josh slowly uncovered his face and looked to where the ice cube was earlier. Standing at its place was a cobalt blue dragon.

"Now do you believe me?" asked Demex as he looked at his stunned audience.

**~END OF FLASHBACK~.**

"I guess I can try that…" said Josh.

Josh felt quiet after that as he contemplated on _how_ exactly was he to transform. It wasn't like Demex taught him how. And it wasn't like Max knew how as well.

He sighed at the thought of it all. Crawl out of one hole and into another. He shook his head, deciding he'll just wing it.

As they drove on, he noticed something.

"Despair…is something wrong? You seem rather quiet," asked Josh, noticing the silence of his friend. Despair wasn't _this_ silent.

"It's just that…" he trailed.

"Just what?" Josh asked.

"Is it because it feels odd you're a human?" asked Felix, sitting down at the chair and resting after a while of looking around.

"No…"

"So what is it then?" asked Max as he continued driving the car.

"It's just that…" he trailed again.

Seeing as there seemed to be a problem, Josh wanted to get to the bottom of this.

"Come on Despair, tell us, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Well…it's just that…why you people…" he trailed, trying to find the right word.

"Why do we what?" asked Josh, wondering what he was trying to ask.

"Well…why do you keep calling me Despair? That's not my name."

* * *

**Author's Notes: To all my readers:**

**If there are some errors in this chapter, I am sorry. I REALLY RUSHED in doing this.**

* * *

**Please take some time to R&R.**

**Please take some time to visit the website.**

**And favorite it, along with the author.**


	39. Chapter 39 Missing Identity

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Another update for all of you!**

**Josh: Awesome!**

**Felix: You made it! Just in time and not on the deadline!**

**Richer: I know!**

**Despair: I want to-oh my...I never knew.**

**Zayril: Yup, important plot twists happens!**

**Alec: Enough suspense! Time for the disclaimers!**

**Alec, Josh and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Despair: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair.**

* * *

Chapter 39

Missing Identity

"Well…why do you keep calling me Despair? That's not my name."

Despair asked, making Josh and Felix look at him like he was crazy.

"Despair…, is you still in this world?" asked Josh, wondering if his friend has lost it.

"What are you talking about?" added Felix. "_Despair's_ your name. How can it be _not _your name…" said Felix, thinking about the logic of it.

"Unless…_you're not Despair!_" exclaimed Josh, backing away from him.

Despair just shook his head.

"Josh, you're over reacting. If I'm not Despair, who do you think I am?" asked Despair. Josh's eyes widened.

"You can't be…_the Sorcerer?_ Right!" asked Josh, looking at Felix.

"That's impossible Josh, we killed the Sorcerer," answered Felix, shooting Josh's thought bubble.

"Well, who is this guy then?" asked Max, getting curious as well.

For all he, or make that they, knew, they could have been with the Sorcerer all along! And that could spell trouble.

"Everyone calm down…Josh, I'm still me. I'm still the Despair you all know. But…ever since I became a silver dragon, it seems like…memories….of my past, are coming to me. Bit by bit," said Despair.

"Your memories…so that must mean, 'Despair' is not your real name, is it? You just remembered your real name?" asked Josh, connecting the dots.

"I have. 'Despair' was the name given to me by the Sorcerer, when he corrupted me," answered Despair.

"The Sorcerer corrupted you? Why?" asked Felix.

"I…I don't know, my memory fails me still at that part," answered Despair solemnly.

"Wait…so you're saying…he corrupted you, which I understand. You don't remember anything before that? Your memory just starts at the part where you remember him corrupting you? Am I right?" asked Josh. Despair nodded.

"Okay…But before your corruption and inevitable service to the Sorcerer, you were a silver dragon. And I know for a fact, that Silver Dragons don't exist on Paleo Dragon Realms. So…that must mean…" trailed Josh. "…Your home realm is the Neo Dragon Realms…" he concluded.

"But that's not possible…" said Felix.

"Why is that?" asked both Max and Despair.

"Because my grandfather told me, Silver Dragons are rare and extinct," said Felix.

**~FLASHBACK~**

**Time Frame: Chapter 26, **_**The Blue Dragon,**_** A New Challenge**

"A silver dragon?" asked Delnok.

"Yes, a silver dragon." answered Volteer.

"Aren't they like, rare and extinct?" asked Fira.

"Afraid so." said Malefor.

**~END OF FLASHBACK~**

"So much so, that having two of them exists both at the same time…is just…_unlikely!_ Impossible even!" exclaimed Felix.

"So I'm guessing they're like purple dragons. But rarer; and since Spirit's a Silver Dragon…it just doesn't make sense! Spirit's a Silver Dragon, and you're a Silver Dragon! There can't be two silver dragons both at the same time!" exclaimed Josh.

"This is making my head hurt," said Despair.

"I agree there," said Max.

"Okay…let's just talk about this again, when you remember more things about your past," said Josh.

"Deal," said Despair. Felix sighed.

"So Despair…_what is_ your _real_ name? If Despair was just…an alias of sorts, what's your real name?" he asked curiously. Despair smiled.

"Hope; Hope's my real name," he answered.

"Wow…_interesting_," said Josh.

It felt familiar…he couldn't put a finger on it, but somehow…somewhere, he had heard of it before. Like in a videogame he had played before.

0 0 0 0 0

In a few minutes, Max and company arrived at the Windsor's House and Felix couldn't help but look in wonder. He was now stepping at the roots of his father. This was, per se, his _other_ home. Hope and Josh on the other hand helped Max parked the car in the driveway, before going into the house.

"Are you guys tired?" asked Max as he entered the house.

Seeing a human home made Josh feel at home himself. It was felt like a long time since he had last scene a human home setting and seeing it now, right in front of him, made him feel how much he had missed. The living room, where they were currently, didn't change much as Josh remembered it. The TV was still at the middle, surrounded by the familiar looking sofas, on top of a warm rug that covered almost the whole living room floor. Cabinets were located at the side, filled with souvenirs that were taken by the Windsor family when they went on vacations.

"Jennifer! We're home!" exclaimed Max as stretched his body.

"Okay!" came a voice from what seemed like the kitchen.

"Now, if you guys are tired, you can rest at Demex's room; follow me," said Max.

"I'll just head into the kitchen, I feel a bit hungry," said Josh, heading to the kitchen.

Hope and Felix followed Max as he climbed up the steps. Felix's head was turning everywhere, as he took in everything. This was the first human home he'd been into and it was all new to him. Hope on the other hand was feeling sleepy, and kept yawning.

Eventually, they reached the second floor of the house, and turned to the corner. In front of them was a door that had the name, "Demex" inscribed on a plate placed on it. Max opened it and Josh stepped in.

His father's room was just like how Demex told him it was.

There was a bed at the side, along with a study desk at the corner. His laptop was on top of the desk, next to some Rubik's Cubes that lay solved. There was a corkboard hung on top of another table which had notebooks on top of it. There was a small TV at the corner, in front of a chair. Right next to the TV was his closet, which contained his teenage clothing. Hung at the walls was photographs of Demex with his family; picture frames that showed the teenager growing up as a kid.

Overall, it looked like an average teenager's room. But there was only one thing missing.

Demex.

"This is Demex's room; you can rest here if you feel tired," said Max, standing at the doorway, watching the two as they surveyed the room.

"So that's how he looked like…" said Felix, looking at Demex's photographs.

"Yup…that's Demex for you," said Max, missing his son. "How's my son doing anyway?'

"My dad's doing fine," answered Felix nonchalantly, not catching what Max's said clearly. "…but that was the last time we've seen of him. I miss him actually. I hope he's okay."

The statement sounded correct to Max, but something about it was just plain wrong.

"_My __**dad's**__doing fine."_

Dad?

"What did you just say?" asked Max, looking at Felix warily.

"Huh?" replied Felix, equally puzzled.

"About Demex; what did you just say about Demex?" Felix was wondering what was going on but nonetheless repeated what he had earlier said.

"Oh my dad; he's doing fine," repeated Felix. Max's eyes widened.

"Your…_dad is…_? Your dad is Demex!" exclaimed Max surprised at the sudden revelation given to him.

"Uh…yeah, he is," said Hope.

"Demex is my father. And you're my _human_ grandfather!" added Felix.

All this was just too much to take in for Max.

It made him faint.

"Whoa! Catch him!" exclaimed Hope as he saw the adult collapse.

0 0 0 0 0

Josh headed down to the kitchen and was greeted with the familiar smell of human cooked food. He couldn't remember anymore the last time he ate a decent cooked meal. All he ate back at the Neo Dragon Realms were raw meat.

"Josh! How are you!" greeted Jennifer as she looked at him. Jennifer was cooking what seemed like dinner, on the gas range. The scent of it wafted into Josh's nostrils and to him, it smelled well.

"I'm still okay," he replied.

"So…what happened? You went to the same place Demex went to?" asked Jennifer as he stirred the food in the pot.

"How did you know?" asked Josh surprised at her knowledge.

"Max went home remember? To get your clothes; he gave me a brief summary," replied Jennifer.

"Ah…well…it's true," answered Josh.

"I see…so how is he doing then?" asked Jennifer.

"Oh, he's doing fine," replied Josh nonchalantly.

"How is my in-law then?" asked Jennifer with a grin.

"Oh, Malefor? He's doing fine as well…well, the last time I've saw of him," answered Josh.

"Well, he must be happy then, now that he has found his mate again," added Jennifer.

"Yeah."

"So is it true as well? That you have to go back?"

"How did you-?"

"Max called before you left the Hospital Lobby; while he was at the reception desk."

"Ah…well, its true."

"What for?"

"I have to go back because I have to get Hope and Felix back. Demex will be worried if I don't return his son safely."

"Wait, _what_?" asked Jennifer curiously.

"Oh, I must've have told you guys yet."

"What did you forget to tell us?"

"That Demex now has a family back at the Neo Dragon Realms. You're a grandmother now of sorts. Your grandchildren are Felix and Demila."

_THUD_.

"WHOA!"

Jennifer had fainted. It seemed the news of hearing Demex have a family now was a bit of a shock to them.

* * *

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**Please take some time to visit the website.**

**And favorite it, along with the author.**


	40. Chapter 40 Problem Solved

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: *phew* Just made it in time for another update!**

**Felix: AWESOME!**

**Josh: That's great Z! **

**Richer: And you just reached Chapter 40! What a landmark!**

**Hope: I know!**

**Richer: Keep on going Z!**

**Zayril: Thank you guys! Time for the disclaimers then!**

**Alec, Josh and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Hope: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair.**

* * *

Chapter 40

Problem Solved

It was only hours later that the two parents had woken up. Josh seemed to grow more anxious as the hours passed and at that moment, the clock _dinged_, signaling that it was now 5:30 PM. Only one hour and 30 minutes left. Hope on the other hand was at the corner, looking curiously at Felix who was transfixed as he solved a 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube.

"I think you should do it like this," said Hope taking the cube and giving it a spin as well.

"Hmm…good idea," Felix replied, nodding.

Jennifer and Max on the other hand though had now finally gotten over the shock, but was wondering what on earth had happened to Demex to have children. To them, he was only a fifteen year old. They knew that he was a responsible child, but bearing children at such a young age was unthinkable. So Josh had to explain.

"Josh how is it possible that Demex is a father…to his children?" asked Max, still trying to understand it all. "He's still a fifteen year old."

"No, you don't understand," said Josh. "Time…_works differently_ at the Neo Dragon Realms."

"What do you mean?" asked Jennifer.

"When I arrived there, I was actually turned into an _adult_ dragon. But at the time when Demex arrived there, he said that he turned into a _teen_ dragon," said Josh. "I don't really understand how it works, but I know that time passes differently there, than here."

"Why is that?" asked Max.

"Well…" said Josh, scratching his head. "What time was it exactly when we _arrived_ here?"

"Well, it was 2:54 PM, June 7 2010," replied Max.

"That's quite different then. Cause, if I can judge it correctly, I think I've spent about _1 week_ already there more or less," answered Josh.

"I see. So time really does work differently there. Our time here is _faster_," said Max.

"So that explains why Demex is an adult dragon now," said Jennifer.

"I guess it does…" said Josh.

After that, he sighed as a thought entered his mind.

"What is it?" asked Max.

"It's just…how will I prove to my parents that our story is true?" asked Josh. Jennifer smiled.

"Easy. Do it the same way as Demex did," answered Jennifer.

"Turn into a dragon right in front of them?" asked Josh.

"Yeah, just like how Demex did it," said Max.

**~FLASHBACK~**

**Time Frame: Chapter 24, **_**The Blue Dragon**_**, Back Again**

Demex concentrated and followed Ignitus' instructions. He closed his eyes and accessed his dragon powers and let it out on his body. In a matter of seconds, the same familiar feeling of coldness enveloped him.

Josh's eyes widened as he saw Demex get encased in ice right before his eyes.

"What the heck…" he said as he slowly stood up.

He wanted to approach the ice cube but at the same time was rooted to place from fear of it. Then as quickly as it appeared the ice cube shattered. He, Max and Jennifer covered their faces with their hands, expecting ice fragments to hit them…but it never did. The ice disappeared off to thin air. Josh slowly uncovered his face and looked to where the ice cube was earlier. Standing at its place was a cobalt blue dragon.

"Now do you believe me?" asked Demex as he looked at his stunned audience.

**~END OF FLASHBACK~**

"But that's the problem Max," said Josh. "I don't know how."

Max frowned along with Jennifer.

"That is a problem." Josh scratched his chin. How was he going to do it?

0 0 0 0 0

The time now was 6 PM. One hour more before Josh's parents arrive. He needed to think of a way to prove to them that he was a dragon, so all doubt could be erased. But how was he to prove it? Now, as he paced at the living room, frustration slowly crept in. Max and Jennifer were equally being frustrated as well. Their minds were on overdrive as they tried their best to help Josh with his predicament.

Hope was tapping his head with his right index finger, trying to think of a solution as well. Only Felix was the one who seemed to not realize the gravity of their situation. He was rather too transfixed at the Rubik's Cube he was holding, which was at near completion, to realize the tension in the room.

"Hmm…how do I solve the corners now…" he asked himself, looking at the cube with curiosity. Hope just shook his head, ignoring Felix for now.

"What if we…?" said Hope, trying to brainstorm. "Just…try to…uh…."

"Try to what?" asked Josh, wondering where this might lead them.

"Try to…_access_ our powers; you know. Tap into them," suggested Hope.

"How do you suggest we do that?" asked Josh.

"Maybe…you can just…_focus_ hard…?" suggested Max, throwing that at the drawing board.

Josh closed his eyes and pondered on it for a moment. That might work.

"Hmm…that's worth trying," he said, opening his eyes again.

"Okay…let's do it then," said Hope, standing up as well.

Josh sighed and cleared his mind. Inhaling a lungful of air, he then tried to _tap_ into his dragon powers that _should_ lay dormant within him. He tried to exclude everything, and focus all of his concentration in searching that _power_ that was within him. Slowly, he felt himself disconnect with the world as he connected with himself.

That was when, he felt it.

Sounds of _cracking ice_ surrounded him, but he did not let this break his concentration. He kept on going, not breaking the link that he had established.

In a matter of seconds, he felt cold; colder than winter; cold as ice. He opened his eyes and was surprised to see himself enveloped in a thick ice cube. Surprisingly enough, he could still breathe. That's when he felt it. He felt his body slowly changing. He saw that his clothing disappeared; he felt his arms go numb then, right before his eyes, it transformed into a dragon arm. After his arms, followed his legs, then his whole body; last was his face. After the entire metamorphosis was complete, he heard a _cracking_ sound. He looked in front of him and saw that the ice was breaking. It was breaking apart. Then in a flash, the ice broke apart and disappeared into thin air, leaving him standing in front of Max, Jennifer and Felix, in his dragon form.

Hope was also transforming as well.

Josh had to cover his eyes as a bright silver light emitted from Hope's body, covering him up completely. Everyone in the room had to close their eyes, or else they'd go blind, as the sheer brightness was so strong. It was like a flashbang was slowly exploding in front of them.

But as soon as it began, it had finished.

Once Josh's eyes focused itself, adjusting the light and clearing up, he saw the familiar looking dragon version of Hope right in front of him. And luckily for the two of them, they were inside the living room which had a high ceiling. Or else, the entire house would have two holes, with two adult dragons poking out of them.

"I guess that's how we do it," said Hope. Josh nodded, feeling relieved.

"Wow!" exclaimed Max, looking at Josh.

"What?" Josh asked.

"You look big! So that's how tall an adult dragon is when standing upright," he concluded.

Josh just chuckled.

0 0 0 0 0

A few minutes later, Hope and Josh were back to their original selves, just reversing the thing they had done earlier. They just controlled their dragon powers and soon, they metamorphosis backed to normal.

The two were both happy that they now knew how to transform back to their dragon forms; Felix on the other hand was even happier now, that he had finally solved the Rubik's Cube that he was playing with earlier.

"You solved it!" exclaimed Josh, looking at the cube. All 9 sides were permutated. All reds, all yellows, all blues, all everything; he had solved everything.

"You're smart!" said Hope, patting Felix on the head who just smiled sheepishly.

"I just…tried my best!" he said, smiling smugly at the two of them.

Then before the three could continue having fun, they were interrupted when a sound bothered them.

_Rumble…_

The two looked at Felix who had a sheepish grin on his face and a faint red on his cheeks.

"What!" he exclaimed, cracking under their stare. "I'm hungry…" Josh shook his head, chuckling to himself. And as if on cue, Jennifer went in with a batch of snacks on her hand.

"Figures you three would be hungry. Good thing I made snacks before hand," she said, handing them a glass of juice each and a hotdog sandwich.

"What do you call this?" asked Hope, sniffing the juice and the sandwich. "It seems…different…yet…the same."

"The food you're holding is called a hotdog. It's basically cooked meat. Not the raw ones we eat at Neo Dragon Realms. The liquid on the other hand is called a juice; specifically, orange juice."

"Mmmm….this juice is delicious!" said Felix, taking a sip of it.

"I glad you like it Felix," said Jennifer.

"You three should get your stomachs full. An empty stomach is hard to think with," said Max, coming in with a hotdog of his own.

"I agree," said Hope, taking a bite of the hotdog sandwich. He smiled and began eating it happily.

Josh smiled and looked at the clock. The time was now 6:30 PM.

Only 30 minutes left before the moment of truth.

He couldn't help but feel nervous.

He hoped everything would turn out okay.

* * *

**Please take some time to R&R.**

**Please take some time to visit the website.**

**And favorite it, along with the author.**


	41. Chapter 41 Moment's Revelation

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: DANG! Barely made my deadline!**

**Alec: But at least you still made it!**

**Josh: And that's what matters!**

**Felix: YEAH!**

**Richer: Ohh! Plot twists!**

**Hope: Where! Oh my...that is just...**

**Zayril: Is just good isn't it? Well time for the disclaimers!**

**Alec, Josh and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Hope: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair.**

* * *

Chapter 41

Moment's Revelation

Josh sighed as he looked at the time. He was getting quite a bit nervous. The time now was currently 6:55 PM. Five minutes left and his parents were going to arrive at anytime soon. Felix was at the couch, relaxing while Hope was beside him, entertaining himself with the Rubik's Cube Felix was playing with earlier. Max and Jennifer were seated across from Josh on a sofa as well, waiting for Josh's parents' arrival.

They didn't have to wait for long. A few moments into the waiting game, all of them looked up when the sound of a car arriving sounded.

Max and Jennifer stood up from their seats and prepared themselves to greet the new arrivals. Josh felt his heartbeat go from normal speed to a mile a minute. This was judgement time. He couldn't even imagine what the reaction of his parents were when they know he was a dragon for a time.

"Good Evening Jared, Rose," greeted Max as he opened the front door.

"Hello to you too Max; how is Josh doing?" asked Jared, looking for son.

"His right inside, ready to tell you everything," replied Jennifer.

"I see…" said Rose, looking at his husband warily.

"Come in then," said Max, before leading them inside.

Max and Jennifer then leaded Rose and Jared to the living room and there, Josh was reunited with his parents again.

"Josh, are you okay?" asked Rose, hugging his son tightly.

"I'm fine mom. Can we get this over with?" asked Josh.

"Of course; the sooner the two of us are in the loop, the better," said Jared as he seated himself next to Felix.

"Okay…" said Max, as everyone was in the room. "Let's get this over with."

"Yes, let's," said Rose.

0 0 0 0 0

After the discussion said earlier, the confession began. Naturally, Josh's parents were sceptical at first but when Josh, Felix and Hope transformed both at the same time, they were speechless.

Josh watched his parents' reactions after transforming back into a human. Their expressions were all unfathomable. Felix and Hope were both hoping that there reactions were going to be good. Heck, even Max and Jennifer were nervously twitching their thumbs.

"I-I…I don't know what to say…" said Jared, looking at his son like a blind man seeing the light.

"So…all of the things you said were true…?" asked Rose. Josh nodded.

"Even about Demex?" asked Jared.

At this comment, everyone nodded.

"So…you're really…_Demex's son_?" asked Jared looking at Felix.

"Yeah! I even have a sister!" he chirped.

"So this is the secret you've kept from us?" asked Rose to Josh.

"Yes mom. Every single bit of it is true, and the evidence is right in front of you," answered Josh.

"So do you believe us?" asked Felix.

There was a moment of dramatic silence.

"Of course we believe you," said Jared.

"That's a relief," said Max.

"We didn't know what to do if you guys were sceptical," said Jennifer.

"Well at least it didn't come to that," said Jared.

And at that point, everyone, aside from Jared and Rose, released a sigh of relief. At least the moment of truth was now officially over. As if on cue, Felix released a deep and long yawn.

"Tired?" asked Josh to his younger companion.

"A bit…" he said, yawning again.

"Come to think of it, it's been a long time since we had a decent sleep," said Hope.

"Well, you three should get some good sleep now. We've already prepared the bedroom for you three," said Max.

"You three go get some sleep now. Us adults will just be down here in case you three need anything," said Jennifer.

0 0 0 0 0

"So Josh, are you happy now that your parents are fine with you being a part dragon?" asked Felix.

"Well…I guess I am, but I am worried," replied Josh.

"Worried about what?" asked Hope.

The three of them were inside one of the spare rooms that Jennifer had prepared earlier the day. The three of them were on a comfy mattress on the floor, with pillows and warm blankets all over them. It was like they had a slumber party, which in turn it looked like it.

Josh was at the middle, with Felix sprawled on his right and Hope lying lethargically next to him.

"I'm worried…about how your father is going to be Felix," said Josh.

"Yeah…we've been gone for quite a while now…" said Hope, thinking of how exactly long they were gone.

"I hope they're okay too. I'm a bit worried myself come to think of it," said Felix.

"Well, let's just hope that they're going to be okay," said Hope. "Okay?"

"Okay. Good night Josh," said Felix, turning around and yawning again.

"Good night Felix. Good night Hope."

0 0 0 0 0

Josh didn't take note of the time, but he was sure of one thing. He had sleep late at night that time. Something was on his mind that kept bugging him; must've been the fact about Demex, his best friend. He was basically worried about his best friend.

"Ugh…" he said as he stirred awake. He was surprised at how time seem to quickly too pass.

"What time is it?" he asked himself as he sat up. He rubbed his eyes and slowly looked around. His eyes were all blurry but slowly, they cleared and his vision was back to normal.

What he saw surprised him completely.

He stood up and looked around. He found himself standing inside what seemed like a library. There were shelves lined up the walls that were filled with books to the brim. He recognized this place. He had seen this place before...back when he had plated The Eternal Night. This was the Chronicler's Library at White Isle.

"What in the world…?" he asked himself as he looked around. "How is this possible…?" he asked as he found himself walking through the rows and rows of endless shelves that were filled with no doubt books that had dragons lives written on it.

"You're wondering why you're here and how this is possible, am I correct?" asked a voice behind him that literally made him jump.

Josh turned around and was surprised at the sight before him.

The dragon that had spoken bore greenish-blue scales wore an odd necklace around his neck and was smiling warmly at him. It was Ignitus, the Chronicler.

"Ignitus!" he said, walking over to him.

"Hello Josh, good to see you again," Ignitus greeted.

"Good to see you too, and I guess you already spoke the questions I was about to ask," said Josh sheepishly.

"Well for starters, you're not exactly at the Neo Dragon Realms, per se, Josh. We're inside your mind. What you see is the product of your imagination, results coaxed by my powers. You're basically dreaming, with me as an outside force, invading your mind. And it's safe to say I have no have no intention of harming you," explained Ignitus, making Josh nod, trying to grasp the concept that his inside _his_ mind.

"And the reason why you're here, is very important," continued Ignitus, his tone getting quite serious.

"And that is?" asked Josh.

"It's because due to significant events happening, bad things have happened," said Ignitus, looking at him as if he were looking at his soul.

_Bad things…?_

"What do you mean!" asked Josh.

"Well, it's best that you see it for yourself. But what I can tell you now that a new evil has appeared," said Ignitus.

"What!" exclaimed Josh.

"Yes, and you're the only ones that can really help us. I think you've experience in dealing with this kind of evil," replied Ignitus.

"What kind of evil is it?" asked Josh.

"Well, this new enemy has identified himself as…" trailed Ignitus and stopped for a bit as if trying to remember.

"What is his name?' asked Josh.

"His name…is…_The Sorcerer_," said Ignitus.

"WHAT!" exclaimed Josh in complete and utter shock.

_The Sorcerer!_ How was it even possible? He thought that they had defeated the Sorcerer already back at Paleo Dragon Realms. How it was that he was alive! Let alone be at Neo Dragon Realms? It just didn't make sense to Josh, and this drove his mind into overdrive. Then his train of thought stopped when he thought of something. Maybe this was just an enemy that just had the same name. But that would be too much to be a coincidence. Or was it? He wasn't quite sure with himself. All he could say now were just theories that needed to be proven in order for it to be true; and the only for them to be proven were to head back to the Neo Dragon Realms.

It was now set. They _needed_ to get back.

"Josh, you have no time to waste. You need to get back as soon as possible," said Ignitus. "And remember, this is no dream."

Suddenly there was a bright flash and Josh felt a slight out of body experience as he slowly felt himself wake up.

0 0 0 0 0

"Ugh…" groaned Josh as he felt himself come back to reality. He looked around and saw that the sun was now out, and it the clocked showed that it was 6 AM in the morning. He had one crazy dream.

"What dream was that…?" he asked himself. Then, the memories of the dream itself came to him. He dreamnt that the Neo Dragon Realms were under attacked by an enemy named The Sorcerer. He chuckled at its stupidity. How was that even possible? They had killed the Sorcerer back at the Paleo Dragon Realms.

And as if on cue, Hope groaned as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Good morning,"

"Good morning to you too," replied Josh, his voice sounding quite deep.

"Had a good sleep?" asked Josh.

"No…" replied Hope, shaking himself.

"Why is that?" asked Josh curiously. Hope sighed before answering.

"I had one odd dream. Ignitus was in it," he said.

_Oh snap_.

"What did you say!" exclaimed Josh, surprised at what he had said.

"I said, I dre—" Hope cut himself off as he realized something. "Did you also have a dream that involved Ignitus telling us of bad happenings at Neo Dragon Realms?"

Josh gulped. He nodded.

"That wasn't a dream," said Hope. "That was real."

"And the danger is real," said Josh, realizing the full gravity of it.

* * *

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	42. Chapter 42 Second Entry

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Okay...time to get the plot moving to Arc 3!**

**Alec: Arc 3! Is this the final Arc?**

**Zayril: I'm not saying anything.**

**Josh: It-  
**

**Felix: NO SPOILERS!**

**Richer: Yeah Josh, keep that maw of yours closed!**

**Josh: Sorry...**

**Hope: Enough chit chat! Time for the story to move!**

**Zayril: Disclaimers time! **

**Alec, Josh and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Hope: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair.**

* * *

Chapter 42

Second Entry

"What!"

That was the first question that rolled out of the tongue of Max as he heard Josh and Hope retell their latest dream to him. Jennifer was listening as well. All five of them, including Felix, were eating breakfast at the dining area.

"It's true," replied Hope.

"The Chronicler contacted us with bad news. It would seem that a villain that has identified himself as the Sorcerer has appeared," added Josh.

"The Sorcerer? Didn't you guys already finish him off?" asked Jennifer, taking a bite from her piece of bread.

"We're not sure if it's the same person or not," answered Josh.

"Is dad and the others okay?" asked Felix. It would seem that he didn't have the same dream as Hope and Josh did. Or maybe he did, but he just couldn't remember it well enough.

"That's what we're worried about Felix. Ignitus said it was rather urgent. Bad things had happened and they needed our help. Plus, since we've experience in dealing with a Sorcerer before, we're the best ones for the job," explained Hope.

"So you're going back then?" asked Max.

"Of course, we've to," answered Josh nonchalantly.

"Are you coming back?" asked Jennifer.

This question made Josh stop in his train of thought.

_Are you coming back?_

The question rang in his head like a bell. This is probably the most important question of them all. His whole life was now sliced in two and he had to choose one. On one hand, he had his human life; everything he ever had live for. His parents, his future, his human friends; from the very start of everything, it was his human life. But on the other, he had his dragon life. A life where everything he had ever wanted existed. No homework, no school; of course, he was an adult dragon. He didn't need to go to school anymore. Most of the things he needed to learn, he'll learn through experience.

And now that he was asked the question, he had to stop and think about it for a moment.

He was at a crossroads.

He had to weigh everything in between and choose which live he wanted to live. If he gave up the other, he would miss out on things he wouldn't have if he didn't. Each life had its perks and low downs.

But he knew one thing though; right now…

He _can't_ decide…_yet_.

"I…I don't know. I'm not sure yet. I might, I might not," answered Josh.

"I understand Josh; making this decision isn't easy for you, isn't it?" asked Jennifer.

"Yeah…but I do know one thing," said Josh.

"And that is?" asked Felix who was listening to all of it.

"I have to get you home safely Felix…or your father would kill me," he answered with a smirk.

Max chuckled. "I think he might would."

"What time are you leaving?" asked Jennifer.

"As soon as possible at best; maybe right now after we've all showered," answered Josh.

"Are you going to tell your parents?" asked Hope.

"I have to," he said. Jennifer nodded.

"I'll call them then, and tell them to meet us at the Drakos Dig Site," said Jennifer, standing up.

"You three should get clean up now," said Max.

The three of them nodded and headed off to the bathroom.

0 0 0 0 0

The trees swept by, looking like a green blur as the road underneath them zipped swiftly as their green minivan travelled on the road. It was fairly moderated today as traffic flowed smoothly. Max was at the driver's seat, steering the vehicle whilst Jennifer sat at the adjacent seat, both of them buckled in. The trio, Josh, Felix and Hope were all seated behind, each at their own devices.

Hope was at the left side window, surveying the Other World environment, seeing as this was probably his last time of seeing it. Felix was at the right side window, looking at the passing motorists as they travelled down the highway they were on. Josh on the other hand was busy contemplating their scenario.

What on earth could have possibly happened back at the Neo Dragon Realms?

He couldn't answer his question himself exactly, but could only hypothesize. He only hoped that whatever had happened wasn't worse than what had happened before.

0 0 0 0 0

A few moments later, the group had arrived at the Drakos Dig Site and got out of the car. Stepping here made Josh feel nostalgic. This was where he was before his entire life had changed.

Other than their car, there was only one other car parked there, a small red car that contained Josh's parents. They got out as soon as they on the other hand got out.

"So…you're leaving then huh?" asked Jared, looking at his son.

"Yes dad. I have to go; they need me back there. Plus, I have to bring these two back themselves safe and sound," answered Josh.

"Well, at least we came here to bid you farewell, where's the portal anyway?" asked Rose.

"Follow me everyone," said Max, putting on his lab coat.

Since they got here quite early, the Dig Site itself was still closed to the public. Luckily, Max was an employee of the site, the lab coat being part of their uniform. The guards their questioned why there were so many people, but Max dismissed it, saying they were important people. Luckily, the guard didn't decide to question either. It would seem that Max and the guard were friends so they trusted each other.

0 0 0 0 0

"So this is the Portal Room?" asked Jared, looking around, noting the weird rock formations that were illuminated dimly by the work lights surrounding them.

As well as the weird door frame looking rock formations, there were also some machines at the side, which Max said he used to monitor the activity of the Portals. Something he had been doing in his free time.

"Yup, only selected people are allowed here," said Max, going over to the corner.

"This is then," said Josh. "Time to change."

Everyone gave the three the necessary spaces and a few moments later, two fully grown dragons were inside the Portal Room, with one teen dragon between them.

"I'll miss you guys," said Josh, looking at his parents.

"Be careful Josh; don't…get yourself killed, okay?" said Jared, gulping as he didn't even want to think of it.

"Yes dad," he answered.

"And Josh…are you planning on coming back?" asked Rose, throwing the question out there again.

Josh had already thought this through back at the car. He knew what his answer should be.

"I don't know mom. With the given circumstances right now, I can't really think of decisions as big as those," he answered.

"We understand. But whatever your decision would be Josh," said Rose. "I and your father will understand it. After all, you're old enough to make your own decisions."

Josh nodded, and then proceeded to approach the pedestal that would activate the portal.

"Um, I think you guys should find some cover. It's going to get windy here in just a few seconds," said Felix, giving them a fair warning.

"Oh yeah, that's right. Come on guys, behind this rock and find a strong holding point," said Max, directing them to the rock he had behind back then when Demex did this.

"Let's do this," said Josh, and then nodded to Hope.

Hope touched the rock formation and it activated on cue. Tweaking the settings on it, he turned the dials so they were 1.1. The Portal Doorway began to hiss and crackle to life. The parents of Josh and Max and Jennifer watched in awe as light suddenly filled the massive chamber. Jared felt the wind suddenly start a 'sucking' motion. He gripped the rock formation tightly in response. He peered over it and saw Josh look at him. Josh nodded and he nodded back.

Josh turned his head and inhaled. He looked at Hope and Felix who looked back at him with smiles.

Without a second thought, he ran towards the Portal and jump through it.

0 0 0 0 0

The only sound that could be heard was water dripping on the hard, cold rock floor. There was the occasional rumble of rocks tumbling down the side as the earth shifted, making them move from their position. The floor was wet as the ceiling was moist; droplets of water drip down the stalactites. Everything was silent; as if frozen in time. But the silence was pierced when one of the rock formations hissed and crackled to life. It glowed and released a light that illuminated the cave interior.

The light was blinding, and along with it came a howling wind. Everything moved as the wind washed over the cave room. Even the big boulders moved an inch at the strong gale. Then there came the voice.

"AHH!" exclaimed a deep voice that carried through the air as a mass came out of the Portal. Josh crashed onto the ground, the entire Cavern Floor shaking from the amount of force exerted on it.

Then, that was when the rest of the gang came.

"AH!" squealed Felix as he came out, landing on top of Hope who came out underneath him, rather silent. "OOF!" groaned Josh as the two masses landed on top of him. "Get off!"

"Sorry," replied Felix as he rolled off of him. "Hey…is that my voice?" Hope coughed then looked at his companions.

"What in the world…?" he asked, and then he covered his maw as he realized something. His voice had changed as well.

"Wow…" said Felix, testing his voice. It would seem that his voice had gotten slightly deeper. As if he had already started going through puberty.

"My voice is deep!" Josh stood up and looked at his friends.

"And that's not the only thing changed," he said, scrutinizing his friends.

The trio themselves seem to have underwent what seemed like a one year age jump. There wasn't anything much noticeably changed between Josh and Hope, but Felix was the one who seemed to change the most. His teenage body became more muscular, signs that he was going through puberty. His overall stature seemed to have been revamped, his features being more prominent. But what was most striking and evident, was the change of tone on his voice. _It did_ get deeper.

"I wonder what else has changed?" asked Josh looking around.

He would soon find out later

* * *

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	43. Chapter 43 Ambushed

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Hello!  
**

**Alec: Hey!**

**Josh: A new update!**

**Felix: This is awesome..*reads*...oh my...**

**Richer: What! What happened?**

**Hope: This is...Wow...**

**Zayril: Yup, expect somethings down there. Disclaimers time! **

**Alec, Josh and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Hope: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair**

* * *

Chapter 43

Ambushed

After getting their bearings, Josh Felix and Hope head out the cavern, following the path that was lit up by the crystals that were glowing at the side. Walking down that path, it made Felix loose the sense of homesickness that was creeping up inside him. He was finally home. Hopefully his home didn't change that much.

As they kept walking, Josh noted anything that seemed out of place. And as far as he could, nothing seemed to have changed. The walls still looked the same, craggy and still moss covered. Other than them, there didn't seem to have been any other disturbance made since their last visit. Nevertheless, he didn't keep his guard down.

A few moments later of walking, they managed to see the light, coming in at the mouth of the cave. They were finally able to get a glimpse of the Neo Dragon Realms after being away for approximately one year.

"Wow…" said Hope, as he saw the first images of the "new" Neo Dragon Realms.

"This…this…" said Felix, failing to describe what was in front of them.

"This…seems _wrong_," said Josh, surveying the landscape.

What was in front of them completely baffled them.

Everything…seemed…_normal_. As in, literally, nothing was out of place. The trees were still there, green as ever and showed signs of growing some size. The sky was still blue, no signs of a storm or anything that showed evidence that there was evil amidst.

Everything was peaceful.

But it contradicted what they had known. From how the Chronicler said it, it seemed that the Neo Dragon Realms was at brink of chaos. But how was this chaos if everything seemed peaceful.

It just didn't make any sense.

"What's going on?" asked Josh after realizing the contradiction. "It's too…_peaceful_."

"Now that you mention it, yeah, it kind of is," said Hope, looking around.

Even though everything seemed peaceful, there were other evidences that there was something wrong. Felix strained ears and heard nothing; other than the swaying of trees as a breeze blew by, the sounds of nature weren't there. The sounds of birds chirping, the sound of woodland animals, scurrying at the forest; it was really _too quiet_.

"I wonder wha—"

But Felix couldn't finish his sentence. Right then and there, he felt an odd sensation on his body. He couldn't put a claw on it at first but after it became known across his body, he realized what he was feeling.

_Fear_.

And as if on cue, the tall grass that was beside them swayed, meaning someone or something was moving through it. It didn't take long for the newcomer to make himself known to the party.

What Josh saw made him gasp in shock, disbelief, and overall, confusion.

It somehow gave Josh the faint image of a Predator but it looked a bit more…menacing. Its hide was shadow black, and he swore he could see faint wisps of smoke emitting from it, making it seem like it was made of gas; and its eyes were darker than blood red. Its head darted left and right, sniffing the air for its supposed prey. When its head turned to the three of them, he swore, it made his entire body lock up from the sudden rush of…fear.

He saw the familiar wispy, smoky, fur of a Fear Hound.

There were at least 3 of them, walking warily, looking around as if a predator has cornered its prey. Right beside these 3 Hounds were Grublins; the very same ones that were used as the main cannon fodder at DoTD; the ones that were used as Malefor's army. But these Grublins looked different; they seemed unlike the normal Grublins; they seemed to have physique of a…ape. The very same ones that used to side with Dark Cynder. They looked brutish, deadlier and eyes showed malice. Even their weapons looked odder.

In essence, they were much deadlier than they seemed.

And to make matters worse, they were hostile, and seemed ready to attack them.

Before the three could react, one of the grublins seemed to have barked a command in its native tongue. And the three were in a fight for their lives.

The Hounds howled, making Josh's knees quiver from the fear. Then, one of it ran straight at him. Due to the fear gripping him tightly, he couldn't even jump out of its way as it pounced at him, teeth barred, aiming for the jugular. If it made contact at his neck, it would have been a fatal hit. Luckily, Hope, who managed to break through the fear like trance, smacked it away with his tail, making it yelp.

"EVERYONE FOCUS!" he shouted at his two companions, making them breaking through the fear trance as well.

Then the fight began.

The hounds rushed at them, the three forced to do teamwork to survive this horrid ordeal. Felix used his fireballs in combination with Josh's ice icicles. They struck one of the Fear Hounds in square at the head, making it tumble back, hitting its comrades at the same time.

Hope used his earth element, and shot an Earth Shot at the Grublins, who had to roll to the sides to avoid the oncoming boulders. The boulder missed, making it hit one of the trees, making it crash from the impact.

The attacks were relentless, but at least they were making progress.

As one of the Fear Hounds pounced at Felix, he immediately swiped it away with a well timed tail whip. It yelped as it was sent to one of the trees, no longer moving. Seeing as his allies were dying, the Grublins roared, and almost immediately, three more Hounds appeared beside him in thin black smoke.

"WHAT!" exclaimed Josh, seeing the reinforcements arriving. They had managed to stay alive this far, but if this kept going, they were going to lose.

With the additional reinforcements arriving, the Grublins took the offense and attack them head on. One Grublin managed to swipe at Josh, giving a gash at his chest, which in turn he howled in pain.

The Grublin roared with laughter, seeing as it managed to damage its enemy. But it didn't laugh for long seeing as a fireball was struck at it, setting it on fire completely. Josh turned his head and saw Felix smirk at him. He nodded then continued to fire away at his enemies.

One by one, the trio managed to cut down the enemies that were sent at them, but it was beginning to look grim. Each time they managed to defeat a Fear Hound, two more seemed to appear out of nowhere. They had to rethink their strategy and Josh realized the hole in this. The Hounds seemed infinite but the Grublins weren't. And they were the ones summoning the Hounds.

Get rid of the source, and you'll get rid of the problem.

"FOCUS ON THE GRUBLINS!" exclaimed Josh as he fired a barrage of icicles at one of the four grublins that were there. The grublin didn't get a chance to escape and was soon struck down and inevitably impaled into a tree, dead and no longer moving.

Hope and Felix readjusted their aims and were soon cutting down the grublins. One then two grublins were down, only one left. Josh at this point was beginning to lose his focus, as he was bruised all over.

He bore cuts and bruises everywhere, and he was loosing blood. Lots of it; one main contributor was the gash he had received earlier. It was bleeding badly. If he didn't get any medical attention soon, he'd passed out from the loss of blood.

And right about now, now that there was only one enemy left, he's eyesight was beginning to blur.

"Josh, are you okay?" asked Felix, as he tail whipped another Fear Hound, sending it to a tree.

"I think so," he replied, coughing up some blood. His condition wasn't good. He needed medical attention.

His friends weren't any better.

Felix was also covered in cuts and bruises, but mostly bruises. He'll be sore in the morning, but that was all the damage he'd received. Hope on the other hand was covered mostly in cuts. His tail was also bleeding as well, seeing as one Fear Hound was smart enough to take a bite at it.

The last grublin however, was still roaring and ready to fight, summoning this time ten fear hounds; _ten Fear Hounds_

The trio won't be able to survive this final wave of enemies.

And Josh realized this. He tried his best to stand on all fours and use his final arsenal. An Ice Fury; but his body wouldn't allow it anymore. He was too much battered and bruised to even try it.

Instead, he fell on the ground, on his own pool of blood.

His eyesight was beginning to blur, and red was beginning to take over. He could see Felix and Hope fighting relentlessly, trying to protect their fallen comrade. Slowly, his sense of sound slowly faded, making him watch a silent event.

He gasped to himself as he saw Felix get taken down by a Fear Hound. Hope roared in anger, but the moment's distraction got him pounced on by a Hound as well. They were down, all of them. And at the corner of his eye, he could see a fear hound.

The Hound pounced; teeth barred and ready to give him the final blow.

He didn't expect to go out this way; lying in his own pool of blood, beaten down by an ambush. But it happened, and now death was slowly going to come to him. He hoped that it would be swift and painless. His mind tried to move and roll away from the oncoming blow, but his body no longer responded. It was really too battered and bruised to move on.

He closed his eyes as death slowly approached him.

But then, out of nowhere, an Earth shot whistled by his head, striking the Fear Hound square on the head. It died instantly, seeing as its skull caved in on itself.

The cavalry seemed to have arrived.

Josh opened his eyes again, sensing that his fate wasn't sealed yet. His eyes were blurry, but from what he could see, four dragons had arrived and had easily dispatched the enemies that had plagued them.

There strategy of targeting the Grublin first, then the Hound worked seamlessly, and soon, the wave of enemies were long gone.

But Josh's life force was fading, and soon he was loosing his grip on reality.

The last images he got was a blurry image of a dragon in what seemed like armor, looked down on him and seemed to try to shake him awake.

After that, his connection to reality was severed, and he fainted because of the injuries he had sustained.

* * *

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	44. Chapter 44 Divulgence

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: IMMA BACK!**

**Alec: YEY!**

**Richer: Z's finally back!**

**Josh: GREAT!**

**Felix: And even better!**

**Hope: A new chapter is up!**

**Zayril: Time for the disclaimers!**

**Alec, Josh and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Hope: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair.**

* * *

Chapter 44

Divulgence

Josh couldn't remember when he woke up but when he did, he felt like he was literally run over by a truck, slashed by a katana and was beaten to the head with a working jackhammer. His head was throbbing badly and he felt like it would explode; the pain must have created his headache seeing as he was injured quite badly at the ambush earlier.

Nonetheless, he was alive. And he was thankful for that.

But now that he woke up, things felt…different.

He opened his blurry eyes and slowly, he got a view of where he was.

What he saw completely surprised him.

He was in some sort of dark room where light came from torches that were hung at the side. The walls looked old and were covered with moss. Even the floor was covered with moss. Wherever he was, he was at rundown place. His paws felt cold and that was when he realized that he was actually _chained_ to the wall. Like some prisoner. His wounds were mostly healed, but he noticed that the slash wound he gained from the ambush left a scar on him.

He was confused.

Weren't they _rescued_ earlier?

If that were the case, then why was he chained to the wall? Looking around, he didn't get to see anything else, seeing as it was still too dark. Whatever was going on, being chained to the wall isn't a good thing. He then began tugging on it, checking on how strong it was. It was no use; even if he tugged as strongly as he could, it would still be in vain. He was rather too weak. He then noticed that the chain had a keyhole in it.

But before he could do anything further, he looked up as something caught his attention.

A light from the distance began to approach him. At first, he thought it was a floating torch, but it was actually a torch that was held by the tail.

The tail of a dragon; a dragon that was in full green armor; the light of the torch reflected across the dragon's armor, making him malicious.

Being covered from head to toe with armor, it clanked as he walked, making Josh shiver for some reasons.

Instinctively, Josh closed his eyes and pretended that he was unconscious.

There seemed to be a moment silence that hung in the air, with Josh's heartbeat, beating in his ears. He could tell that the dragon was there, because if he moved, his armor clanked. His heartbeat went a mile a minute when he heard the sound of the armor moving. And…it was getting louder. The dragon was approaching him. Before Josh knew it, he felt a cold, hard thing touch his cheek and move his head.

"Get up," said the dragon in such a cold voice that made him obey obediently.

He immediately opened his eyes and saw that the dragon was staring down at him.

"No point in fooling me; now get up," he said before unlocking the chains with a key held in his paw.

The chains clanked down the ground with a metallic thud, and Josh obediently followed. Whoever this guy was, he had an aura of authority. After the chains were down, he produced a green glowing chain out of thin air that seemed to snake around Josh's neck. What's worse was that he couldn't feel it there until it seemed to have solidified. It reminded him of the chain that was on Spyro and Cynder's neck on DoTD.

"Follow," he said flatly, and then tugged on Josh's chain.

Josh snorted but nonetheless followed. He was basically in hot water, he deduced that much. He didn't understand what was going on but he was in _very_ hot water. He followed the green dragon down the winding corridor as he lit the way with the torch held by his tail. They turned around at a corner and Josh was surprised at the sight before him. Up ahead was the mouth of the corridor, opening outwards into a spacious hall with a fire at the side. As they entered it, Josh looked around and his eyes widened at the sight he saw.

At the corner, chained to the wall were his friends, Felix and Hope. Right beside them, were Grublins. The same kind that ambushed them; they were standing guard on the prisoners.

"Josh!" exclaimed Felix, seeing him.

"You're alive!" exclaimed Hope.

Before Josh could answer their call, the green dragon shoved him towards their side.

"Move!" he ordered.

"You don't have to be so pushy," said Josh obeying reluctantly.

As the green dragon chained him to the wall, Felix couldn't help but smile at Josh, knowing that his friend was alive. Even Hope was a bit happy. But one thing was clear between the three friends. None of them knew what was going on. To Josh though, he felt that the truth would present itself in just a few minutes. With a_ click_ the lock was placed, and the chain that was around Josh melted and disappeared into thin air.

"Do you guys know what's going on?" asked Josh.

"No clue," said Hope. "But whatever is going on, it's probably connected to the whole Sorcerer thing."

"Right you are," said an ominous voice. Then all of a sudden, thick black smoke exploded out of thin air in front of the three of them, making them cough. As it cleared, an ominous figure stood in front of them.

Josh's eyes widened. The odds of it happening were unanimous but apparently it happened.

Right before them was none other than, the Sorcerer himself; _alive and well_, and a smirk on his face.

"It's…it's…it's…" stuttered Felix, seeing the supposedly dead dragon before them.

"Not possible, on the contrary, it was _only_ made possible, because of your…_valiant_ efforts," said the Sorcerer, his voice sending shivers down their spine.

"But we…_killed you!_? How did you survive!" exclaimed Josh, being mind blown.

"You killed me…?" asked the Sorcerer. "My dear Josh, it appears you have mistaken yourself. I am quite an actor," said the Sorcerer with an evil grin.

"…What? You mean…?" asked Hope.

**~FLASHBACK~**

**Time Frame: Chapter 34, Conqueror's Respite**

"NO!" he exclaimed and tried to distract Despair by firing a fireball at him.

But it was too late, just before it even got flung at him; Despair opened his maw and unleashed his breath. It was a bright silver light breath, unlike anything Josh had ever seen before. It blinded him completely and he could see the Sorcerer get engulfed by the light, the Shadow Amplifier along with him. He covered his eyes as the light momentarily blinded him. The Sorcerer audibly roared and a sound of something being unlocked sounded as well.

But as soon as it began, it was all over.

The light faded and what was once where the Sorcerer stood, was instead just a smoking, charred floor, the dragon completely gone. The Shadow Amplifier on the other hand was still the same as ever, but it didn't seem to be alive. The white balls in the tubes were no longer there.

It was a victory worth celebrating. And they were about to.

That was until…

**~END OF FLASHBACK~**

"You mean all of that was…just acting!" exclaimed Hope, getting worked up.

"You'd think I would die so easily?" asked the Sorcerer.

The Sorcerer chuckled, shaking his head, mumbling something to himself. Josh turned his head, the green dragon at the corner on the other hand, just stood idly, waiting for commands as it would seem. The Sorcerer turned his head and looked at the dragon.

"Ah, yes, Adrian, wonderful job you've done," said the Sorcerer. "I thank you for your fast efforts of stopping these…imbeciles," the Sorcerer stole a glance at the Grublins who cringed. "From killing off our delightful prisoners; wonderful work my slave," said the Sorcerer.

"Thank you, Master," said the dragon that was now identified as Adrian.

"You are relieved of your duty for now, get some rest. We've got some big plans for tomorrow," said the Sorcerer.

"Yes Master," said Adrian, before turning around and heading off at one of the hallways at the side.

The fire cracked as it burned its firewood, giving off _crack_ sounds as it did so. The short silence was broken again when Hope spoke up.

"What do you plan to do with us? Kill us?" asked Hope bravely.

At the question, Josh gulped, and he could swear Felix gulped as well. He was still too young to die, and the prospect of dying was way too much for him to handle. He couldn't imagine the amount of emotional impact this was doing to Felix.

"Kill you…?" asked the Sorcerer, looking at the three of them. "Why would I do that…?"

The question raised a brow for Josh. Was he seriously asking that question?

"Are you seriously asking us that question?" asked Josh. "You have every reason to kill us!" said Josh, not believing that he had actually said the latter sentence.

"I know that, I'm not stupid Josh. I have every urge to kill you right now but I'd rather not," said the Sorcerer.

"And why is that? Why won't you _not_ kill us now…where we don't even know what's going on?" asked Felix. "We don't even know where we are…how you survived…and all that…" trailed Felix, seem to be losing hope.

They _did_ didn't know a single thing. Heck, they didn't even know where they were. The only thing they knew was that the Sorcerer had survived their fight and was now taking them captive. And keeping them alive for that matter, for reasons they also didn't know. There were too many unanswered questions.

"What do you want from us?" asked Josh. "If you're not here to kill us, then what's your reason for keeping us alive?"

The Sorcerer smirked. "What do you have to give? That is the main question. I will kill you, but not right now."

"Since you're going to kill us anyway, at least tell us why you're sparing a few more moments of our lives," said Josh.

"A soon to be dead dragon's request…fair enough; I'll tell you why," said the Sorcerer. "For you two," he pointed to Felix and Josh. "I'd like your father to see you and his best friend one last time before I torture you violently as he watches helplessly." Felix gulped. That thought scared him.

"As for you Hope…" he said, turning towards him.

"I'd like _your_ father to see you one last time, for him to realize that you were the son he never knew he had. Revenge is sweet."

* * *

**Please take some time to R&R.**

**Please take some time to visit the website.**

**And favorite it, along with the author.**


	45. Chapter 45 Samotoc

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: HEY HEY HEY!**

**Alec: Yes! Another chapter update! And we've reached Chapter 45**

**Josh: Five more chapters to go before Chapter 50!**

**Felix: I wonder how long this fic will go!**

**Richer: I honestly don't know.**

**Hope: Enough talk everyone! Time to read!**

**Zayril: Disclaimer time!**

**Alec, Josh and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Hope: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair.**

* * *

Chapter 45

Samotoc

Hope's world seemed to shatter to a million pieces. It didn't make sense at all. Was the Sorcerer lying? He couldn't be since all he said before then was true. Why lie now? The concept of him having a father still alive was really farfetched. It seemed…too good to be true. He couldn't remember his parents, but he always thought that they had died.

"You seem so shock Hope…" said the Sorcerer with a sly grin on his face. "Don't be. You'll be reunited soon." Hope just turned his head, not showing his face.

Josh on the other hand was trying to calculate how they could get out of their situation and escape this place. He didn't exactly like what the Sorcerer had planned for the three of them. The Sorcerer scratched his chin, and then all of a sudden, his iconic staff, which sported a red orb and a yellow semi-circle as support, appeared out of nowhere in a cloud of black smoke. He swung it right before their eyes in a seemingly trance like manner.

Josh couldn't help but stare at it.

"Well now my prisoners relax for now. I have some…_matters_ to attend to," said the Sorcerer then left with no more words.

The Grublins who were guarding them followed behind him, acting as bodyguards. They passed down the same path Adrian went through and a few moments later, their footsteps began to fade away and only the sound of cracking fire was audible. Josh sighed. If they were planning on escaping, this was the perfect time to do so. Using human knowledge, he looked at what was chaining them and saw that it was just a metal chain that was fastened to the wall.

What was the fastest way to break apart metal?

Josh dug through the knowledge he had of science, and after sifting through everything he knew, he came up with the solution. But it was only accomplishable with the aid of someone helping him. And that someone was Felix.

"Felix!" he said. "FELIX!"

"What?" Felix asked, looking at him, wondering what it was.

"I need you to heat the chain on my hands with your flame as HOT as you can," said Josh. Felix looked surprised.

"Are you crazy? I might burn your paws!" replied Felix.

"Don't worry; I'll freeze my paws as cold as I can," said Josh.

He then began to channel his ice breath into his paws, and not soon after, he felt numb. Josh looked confident. He hoped this plan would work or else they'd be screwed. He only hoped that Felix burning his paws wouldn't be that much painful.

"Josh, are you sure about this?" asked Felix.

"Yeah; I'm ready for it," replied Josh.

Double checking his frozen paws, he prepared for the worst. Hope on the other hand finally got out of his trance of thinking and was paying attention. He hoped that Josh's plan would work. Felix inhaled deeply then spurted his flame on Josh's cuffs on one straight stream of fire, much like a welding machine. As expected, since it was so concentrated, the cuff began to heat so quickly, it slowly glowed red. Josh on the other hand was nervously watching as Felix melted the cuffs. Luckily, his iced paws were working just as planned and he could only feel lukewarm heat. The cuffs glowed hot red, then melted off at the side, lying on the floor as a puddle of hot metal, ready to be meld.

"YES!" exclaimed Josh as he examined his freed paws. "Can you do the other one too?"

Felix nodded, and then proceeded to do so. A few minutes later, Josh was standing free in front of his friends and stretching. Felix did Hope's cuffs while Josh hacked away at Felix's with the aide of some iced icicles. He made them sharp and hard enough to damage metal.

A few minutes later, the three friends were soon standing freely again, no longer restrained. Phase 1 of their escape was successfully executed. Phase 2 was soon to be so. Josh looked around, and saw only two paths. The first one being where he was dragged earlier; that was no doubt a dead end. The other was the path where the Sorcerer went and Adrian as well.

"Which way do we go from here?" asked Felix, looking at Josh.

"Same way as everyone did," said Hope, looking at the two of them.

"I'll take point, you take the rear Hope," ordered Josh.

"Got it," said Hope.

Josh taking the lead, he went upfront and warily entered the hallway. They couldn't mess this up. He looked around and saw that there was no visible guard. Just a dimly lit hallway lit by torches at the side; he hoped that wherever they were, they were somewhere that had an exit nearby. Josh cautiously walked through the winding halls and ended up at a large space. It was too dark to see anything exactly.

"I wonder how they see where they're going…" said Josh as he walked. He strained his ears, trying to hear the sound of anything; a_nything_ that may signal them that someone was coming their way.

And luckily he did. The sound of footsteps slowly approached coming from in front of them. They had to hide, and they had to hide _fast_.

"This way!" whispered Hope, knowing full well what was to come if they didn't hide.

Josh and Felix nodded, following him down the path at the right side. Wherever it may go, he hoped that it wouldn't go to a dead end. The three of them ran as silently as they could down the winding path set before them and soon found themselves going down a set of stone steps. And as they went down the steps, the entire place seemed to change scenery. The torches were slowly replaced by glowing crystals and the sound of rushing water was quite imminent. More so, the floor they were walking on was moist.

Wherever they were headed, a river was bound to be fou

The trio cautiously went down the stone steps but had to stop.

All color seemed to drain from Josh's face. Before them was a rushing river, that seemed to go out to the right, where light was entering. It was evident that, in order to get out from wherever place they were, they had to follow the river. But standing at the side of the river, was Adrian. His green armor stood in contrast against the grey stony background. It seemed that they had fallen in a trap.

Adrian cocked his head at the side as he examined them. He shook his head.

"The Master is always right," he said. "He knew you'd try to escape."

Their entire prison break would go ashtray if they didn't salvage it now. Josh sensed a fight was imminent and he only hoped that his battered body can survive the ordeal. A voice at the back of his head screamed that it wouldn't. And Felix and Hope were on the same set of thinking as well. They wouldn't be able to make it if a fight broke out.

But it was a factor that was not within their control.

Adrian cautiously approached them, prowess at his every step. Josh's eyes darted left to right, looking for any sort of escape route they could use. Left…then right, his eyes searched and by sheer dumb luck, there was one right beside them. It was a path lit by crystals, giving it an eerie feeling. It was another caved entrance; it was as usual, dark and the end wasn't quite visible. It strayed off from the river, which was the only escape route from this place, but that was their only choice.

"TAKING POINT!" he exclaimed, before running to that direction. Felix and Hope moved just in time to dodge a boulder hurled at them by Adrian. He laughed maniacally as he watched them dart through the hallway.

Josh ran as fast as he could, almost flying down the hall they were on. He didn't know where he exactly was going, but that was sure better than fighting Adrian. They couldn't win against him at the condition they were in. Luckily for him, they were apparently still beside the river, since he could still the gushing of the water against the walls.

Not before long, the cave parted outwards, and they were outside again, technically. This time, the river was at their right, and light seemed to be much more evident here. Hope and Felix came running out of the cave and stopped behind Josh.

"I think he gave up chasing us," said Hope.

"I wouldn't bet on it if I were you," said Josh. "We need to get out of here as fast as we can."

Josh turned his head and saw Felix staring off at the distance.

"What is it Felix?" he asked.

"It's…_dad_," he replied, pointing to the particular direction he saw them.

"What?" Josh asked, turning to the direction he pointed.

He gasped as apparently, he was right. There at the cave walls a few feet in front of them, were Demex and…_Spirit._ They were chained to the wall, paws and legs, and seemed to be knocked out cold. Demex looked older than before and Spirit was now at the age of being an elder.

Without even thinking, Josh immediately approached the two, and began hacking and cutting the cuffs that bounded them. Felix followed after him, taking the chains of his father. Hope on the other hand seemed to have his mind go haywire. Demex was Felix's father. So does that mean that Spirit was _his_ father? That didn't make any sense at all. Fighting off his colliding mind, he approached his friends and helped the two downed dragons.

A few moments later, they were free from their cuffs with their combined efforts.

Josh sprayed some water on Demex's face, using his ice breath, and Demex immediately awoke, coughing.

Demex's eyes had to adjust for a few moments for it to clear, but when it did, he stared surprised at Josh.

"Time to wake up now," said Demex.

"_Huh_?" asked Josh surprised at his comment.

Then, it was as if the whole entire world around Josh shattered into a million pieces; _LITERALLY_.

Right before his eyes, Demex, Spirit, Felix and Hope were…melting away into fine dust and was as if being blown away by wind that wasn't even there. The cave walls around him shattered like glass into a million pieces.

"Huh! What's going on!" he shouted in complete confusion.

None of the things around him made sense. As his environment shattered like glass, it was left with nothing but an inky black landscape, filled with nothingness as far as the eye can see. He was even standing on _nothing_. It was like he was just floating in the middle of an ocean of black.

Then, all of a sudden, what was making him float, disappeared.

Josh fell down into the dark abyss. He desperately tried to open his wings to support him, but found that no matter how hard he flapped, no air seemed to make him fly.

It was as if he was stuck in a nightmare.

0 0 0 0 0

"AHH!" exclaimed Josh as he came to.

Josh was panting and sweating, as his heartbeat raced a mile a minute. He had just had the weirdest, and downright scariest, dream in his entire dragon life. He couldn't even classify if the dream itself was a nightmare or something else entirely.

But he let out a sigh of relief as it was finally over and he was back to reality.

But as he got his sense of reality, he realized where he was.

It wasn't exactly the best place to be in.

* * *

**Author's Notes: To all my readers:**

**Ahh...I love this plot device. Now that was an interesting twist right there. Anyone feeling up to it to explain what just happened?**

* * *

**Please take some time to R&R.**

**Please take some time to visit the website.**

**And favorite it, along with the author.**


	46. Chapter 46 Denouement

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: *phew***

**Alec: WOW! That was fast!**

**Josh: You seem to have gotten rid of your Writer's Block!**

**Felix: Awesome!**

**Zayril: Yup, and in the nick of time!**

**Richer: *looks down* Wow that is long...and look at the paragraphs!**

**Hope: I hope I can understand all of this!**

**Zayril: Well, time to dive in head first! Disclaimer time!**

**Alec, Josh and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Hope: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair.**

* * *

Chapter 46

Denouement

It wasn't exactly the best place to be in.

The sound of thunder was evident as dark cloudy nimbus clouds rolled everywhere, giving the area a dark deadly atmosphere. Light flashed as lightning struck at every possible place. He recognized this area. He had seen this before at the game. It was at "_A New Beginning"._ It was Cynder's Tower, per se. It was the tower located at Concurrent Skies. He was confused. What the _heck _was going on? From what he remembered, he was at a dark chamber earlier; now he was at the rooftop of a tower, being blown cold blustering winds. It was a real mind-screw.

"Did you like what I did?" asked a voice.

He looked up ahead and saw his enemy. It was the Sorcerer. He was standing atop the middle platform a few feet around him which floated ominously atop a large hold that led to the ground. It would seem he was chained to a pillar; there were eight pillars in total, each located at a vertex of what formed an octagonal shaped platform with a hole in the middle.

"What did you do!" exclaimed Josh, trying to find answers to questions that were buzzing across his head.

"Just a simple spell, my dear Josh," said the Sorcerer, his grey robe fluttering in the wind, showing his muscled toned body underneath. He tapped his staff on the ground, and its red orb began to glow ominously. A few moments later, small platforms formed out of nowhere and formed a spiral staircase that led to Josh's pillar.

"How are you feeling Josh?" asked the Sorcerer almost caringly.

"I've been better," replied Josh, trying to spat at his face.

He did managed to do it, but his efforts were futile, seeing as the Sorcerer wore a knight helmet that would conceal his face entirely. His saliva just smacked it and dripped down.

"Did you enjoy your dream?" asked the Sorcerer, ignoring the spat he did.

"My…dream?" asked Josh, trying to understand what he was saying. Then the memory came back to him. So…what had happened to him; he, Felix and Hope escaping, finding Demex and Spirit, running away from Adrian; all of that was just a dream?

"…yes, that dream," said the Sorcerer, guessing what he was thinking. "Interesting spell isn't it?" he asked.

"That was a spell?" Josh counter asked.

"Yes, indeed. It's called Samotoc; a high level spell. It makes the victim see what he _wants_ to see_,_" he said braggingly. "Though, there are holes in there that can allow the victim to know that he is_ under_ the spell."

"Holes?" asked Josh. "Do you mean contradictions?"

"Yes, did you not notice?" asked the Sorcerer. "It was me that was the contradiction there."

Josh went to his memory with a fine comb and tried to remember anything wrong about the Sorcerer, as far as he could know, there wasn't any. His eyes then widened. _There was_ something wrong with him.

"Ah…I see you've understood now," said the Sorcerer. "Tell me, what was the contradiction?"

"It was your head," said Josh.

**~FLASHBACK~**

**Time Frame: Chapter 44, Divulgence**

"Right you are," said an ominous voice. Then all of a sudden, thick black smoke exploded out of thin air in front of the three of them, making them cough. As it cleared, an ominous figure stood in front of them.

Josh's eyes widened. The odds of it happening were unanimous but apparently it happened.

Right before them was none other than, the Sorcerer himself; _alive and well_, and a smirk on his face.

**~END OF FLASHBACK~**

"You weren't wearing your knight's helmet, which in fact you should have been, but you weren't. That in itself is odd enough, and I can't believe I did not see it. So that was why whenever I tried to look at you directly, for some reason, my eyesight edges to the corner, making me fail to notice that you didn't have a face," said Josh, finally realizing the contradiction.

"Exactly," said the Sorcerer. "Throughout the entire time you were under the spell, neither you nor your friends, got a good look at my face, since the spell had that as the contradiction."

"How much of that dream was real?" asked Josh, questioning every detail that was in that dream.

"'_The mind chooses to see what it wants to see_'," said the Sorcerer to him slowly. "Since you three were all my targets, you had shared the same dream since I casted the spell simultaneously. Now, Felix saw his father, since his mind wanted to see, what it wanted to see, which in fact, he was missing his father so that's what it showed him. Since you wanted to escape, it showed you the scenario of you escaping. And since Hope had the subconscious desire of searching for his past, it showed him a big connection to his past; his father."

Josh's eyes widened. The only _other_ dragon that was there was…Spirit.

Spirit was in fact Hope's father? That didn't make sense!

"That doesn't make sense! How is it possible that Spirit is Hope's father?" asked Josh, trying to wrap his mind around the concept of it.

"You still don't get it do you?" asked the Sorcerer. "Didn't my projected-self in the dream tell you my main reason for doing all of this?"

Josh racked his brains.

"He or…you did. It was for revenge. But I don't understand. What did Hope or Spirit ever do to you to begin with? You have connections to Hope, that's understandable, but Spirit? Spirit doesn't even know you." Josh rationalized.

How was he supposed to have a grudge against someone if that someone didn't even know that he had a grudge on him?

"What did they do?" he asked, then chuckled darkly. "My pride," he chuckled darkly.

"Your pride?" asked Josh.

"Yes, it all happened on that one day…being the Sorcerer that I am, I have the powers to be able to go to other worlds, which is how I managed to get to here in the first place. I never used those crude portals. Looking for power, I went to this world and heard that the Silver Dragon had abilities beyond measure. I had to have them," he explained.

The following words of the Sorcerer felt familiar to Josh. Then…he had remembered. He had heard the following scenario before.

"So I decided to go to their house," began the Sorcerer. "And tried to subdue the Silver Dragon named Spirit to get his powers; but he retaliated, this I expected much. But, the way he retaliated wasn't what I expected. He had fired what is known as the Concavity Breath at me. And that breath cleanses evil completely at whoever is targeted. But since I wasn't evil, per se, at the time, but my powers were, it _sealed_ my powers."

"Sealed your powers?" asked Josh, a bit confused.

"Yes, it _locked_ my powers away, symbolized by a silver necklace. Locked meaning, I could not access or utilize it. It damaged me completely. How can someone, as mere peasant such as he, deal so much of damage to me, the all mighty Sorcerer. That is how it came to damage my pride. Worse, the only way for me to be able to _unlock_ my powers again, were to be hit by a Concavity Breath." At this statement, Josh's eyes widened…_unlock_; so that was why at that time, there was that sound….

**~FLASHBACK~**

**Time Frame: Chapter 34, Conqueror's Respite**

But it was too late, just before it even got flung at him; Despair opened his maw and unleashed his breath. It was a bright silver light breath, unlike anything Josh had ever seen before. It blinded him completely and he could see the Sorcerer get engulfed by the light, the Shadow Amplifier along with him. He covered his eyes as the light momentarily blinded him. The Sorcerer audibly roared and a sound of something being unlocked sounded as well.

**~END OF FLASHBACK~**

"Yes. That is why I called it acting. I meant to get hit by Hope's Concavity Breath at the time, in order for me to be freed from my seals," said the Sorcerer. "And if you're wondering why, the reason why I took Hope at that time is because I needed insurance."

"Insurance for what?" Josh asked.

"Hope is innately a Silver Dragon. He has the Concavity Breath that would unlock my full powers again. Since he was young, I had to accelerate his growth, in turn turning him into Despair," explained the Sorcerer. "It was all working well, until he escaped from my clutches, and ending up here, at what you say…the Neo Dragon Realms."

"Okay…it all makes sense…but why doesn't Spirit remember him? I can understand Hope not remembering his father, since he was young when you took him. Why is that?" asked Josh.

"Easy, I casted a Memory Spell to his parents; I didn't want them looking for their son, now would I?" answered the Sorcerer flatly.

It all literally made sense. It was one great denouement.

But then…there was a problem; one teeny tiny problem.

"Then who's Adrian?" he asked.

"What?" The Sorcerer asked confusedly.

"Who's Adrian? Who was that dragon in the green armor? Who was he?" asked Josh in a flurry of questions. Everything literally made sense, unless for that one little speck of detail.

"What are you blabbering about?" asked the Sorcerer as lighting struck at the background.

"There was this dragon, in the dream, wearing head to toe in green armor. He was the one that found us, or should I say rescued us, from the attack of the Grublins. He acted like your minion. In fact, he was the one we were trying to escape from. He was chasing us, and that was how we ended up seeing Demex and Spirit," explained Josh.

"What are you talking about?" asked the Sorcerer, puzzled. "There was no dragon in green armor. _I _had full control of your dreams and was monitoring them as I teleported your sleeping bodies here. And there was _no_ dragon in green armor. It was my projected self that did all that. _I _was the one who stopped the Grublins. _I _was the one who dragged you out of your cell. _I_ was the one who chased you."

Josh looked at him crazily. What did he mean that there was no dragon in green armor?

"Your memory must have been affected by how powerful I placed the spell on you," rationalized the Sorcerer. The Sorcerer chuckled as a large gush of wind blew through them, making Josh's teeth chatter by accident. It was even accompanied by two strikes of lightning bolts.

"Enough talk; let's see how your friends are doing," he said turning around. The Sorcerer just chuckled to himself as he snapped his paws.

Black thick smoke appeared at two opposite pillars at the octagon, and once it dissipated, Josh was taken by surprise. At their own respective pillars, Felix and Hope were both chained to it, both looked out cold.

He tapped his staff, which made the orb glow darkish hue of red. He then raised it, and Josh had to close his eyes instinctively as lightning struck his orb. He couldn't believe it. The thing also acted as a lightning conductor. The lightning seemed to focus on the orb, sparks flying everywhere. To his surprise, it then arced and headed straight towards Hope and Felix.

That was when he realized what he was doing.

"NO! STOP!" he exclaimed frantically, trying to distract him from making the spell.

But apparently, he was too late.

With deadly intensity, the lightning bolt struck the two of them simultaneously and Josh wanted to badly cover his ears at that point. He heard the most gruesome, agonizing, painful scream he had ever heard. And what was worse, was that it had come from his two best friends. He opened his eyes, even though he was reluctant at best, and saw that Felix and Hope were indeed being electrocuted. Felix was squirming badly, trying to get away from the pain. His eyes were wide open and Josh noticed that his body was slowly developing open gashes with blood oozing out.

Hope was having the same treatment, although he wasn't squirming as badly as Felix was. He was trying to not show he was being pained by it. Josh couldn't take it anymore. His blood began to boil as he looked at the Sorcerer madly. If he didn't have any reason before to take him down, now he did. No one hurts his friends and gets away with it; _no one._

"GAH!" he exclaimed, trying to reach the dragon.

The metallic chains strained as it tried to sustain the force it was being laid upon by Josh but the pillar it was placed on the other hand wasn't. It was slowly loosening up, and it only took a few more pulls to loosen it further. But before he could continue doing it, the Sorcerer stopped his torture act and turned to face him. Josh peered at the side and saw that Hope and Felix were panting, pushed to the edges of their lives.

"Did you enjoy my little show?" asked the Sorcerer to him, peering down at him through his knight helmet.

"You monster!" he exclaimed, trying to grab him with his paws but the chains restrained him.

"Thank you," said the Sorcerer, accepting it as a compliment.

Then he snapped his paws, making a cracking sound.

Black thick smoke appeared at two opposite pillars at the octagon, and once it dissipated, Josh was taken by surprise. At their own respective pillars, Demex and Spirit were both chained to it, much like Josh and his friends. Demex and Spirit looked older now, but his physique was something Josh didn't notice for now. It was his anger. When Demex looked at his son, Felix, Josh could feel the anger in his eyes. And when he looked towards the Sorcerer, he swore, he felt a shiver down his spine. He was sure enough that, he wasn't sure how though, but the Sorcerer will pay for what he had done.

Demex roared loudly, almost deafening.

"Hush, Demex," said the Sorcerer, shooting a lightning bolt at him. He growled in pain, trying his best to suppress the sounds.

As Demex writhed as electricity passed through him, the Sorcerer turned to face Josh again. But as he was about to speak, something else happened.

"SORCERER!" yelled a voice.

Josh, Felix, Hope, Spirit and the Sorcerer turned their heads to Demex. It was him that shouted. When Josh saw what was happening, he immediately felt scared. Something odd was happening to Demex. His entire body seemed to be glowing…radiating and his scales were chaning to a deep color of black. It reminded Josh of something. It was like Demex was becoming Dark Demex, much like how Spyro becomes Dark Spyro at the TLOS Series. This was something different.

As Demex became Dark Demex, the chains that bounded him on the pillar strained as a humongous force were placed on it. Using the moment's distraction, Spirit used all his powers to free himself from the chains that bounded him. This proved successful as the chains broke with the combined forces of earth, fire and ice.

With Dark Demex and Spirit free, the Sorcerer was sure that he had his paws full. Dark Demex charged at him completely, while Spirit freed his friends. Eventually, with Hope and Felix freed, Spirit came up to him and freed him.

"We were locked down below and I swear I heard him mention about me being related to Hope, can you relay that to me later?" asked Spirit.

"Sure," said Josh. "After we finish the fight."

* * *

**Author's Notes: To all my readers:**

**Cookies to anyone that can guess what denouement means!**

* * *

**Please take some time to R&R.**

**Please take some time to visit the website.**

**And favorite it, along with the author.**


	47. Chapter 47 Finishing the Fight

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Wow guys! I cannot believe we made it this far!**

**Josh: I know Z. This is one long story!**

**Felix: How long till the end by the way?**

**Richer: Yeah Z? How long?**

**Zayril: It won't be long now...**

**Hope: Well, time to read the chapter! Time to finish this story!**

**Zayril: You're right. Disclaimers time!**

**Alec, Josh and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Hope: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair.**

* * *

Chapter 47

Finishing the Fight

Dark Demex charged at the Sorcerer with strength that could rival him completely. Sharp icicles formed around Demex as he charged and rocketed toward the Sorcerer, with deadly intent. He just chuckled to himself and casted a barrier as he dodged out of the way of one of the icicles. It struck the pillar behind him, causing it to crack into two, and the upper portion falling off the platform. As he was spinning on the air, the Sorcerer summoned two fireballs beside him and launched them straight at Dark Demex.

Josh saw this and immediately launched icicles at the fireballs. It collided at the air and exploded into steamy steam. Felix, who was at the corner taking a breather, turned around and saw the Sorcerer passing by him as he was fighting his father. He launched one large fireball at him, one impossible to be dodged. But the Sorcerer, as if having an eye at the back of his head, jumped as quickly as he can and summoned an earth wall behind him. The fireball collided with it, making it explode into large chunks. One such chunk was headed straight towards Felix, and he couldn't move fast enough to dodge it.

He just closed his eyes and waited for the pain to come.

But it didn't.

He felt someone grab him and a loud crash was heard as the chunk collided with the pillar behind him earlier. He opened his eyes and saw that Hope had saved him at the nick of time. But before they could relax, Hope ducked as a large Electric Shot whizzed by his head erratically, launched by Spirit and was aimed to the Sorcerer. The Sorcerer on the other hand laughed maniacally as Dark Demex charged at him at the air. He dodged him then whacked him with his tail, sending him on a collision course towards Spirit's Electric Shot. Friendly fire ensued, causing Dark Demex's body to crash to the floor, bolts of electricity coursing through him. This though, didn't stop him. With sheer determination, powered by anger, he stood up, growling loudly.

"Is that the best you've got!" shouted The Sorcerer, atop one of the pillars, balancing perfectly.

"Come down here and I'll give it to you!" shouted Spirit back at him.

"How in the world are we supposed to beat this guy?" asked Josh, running towards Hope and Felix.

"Don't ask me! We can't even hit him!" said Hope defensively.

"I've got a plan," said Spirit, approaching them.

"What is it?" asked Josh.

"Wing it!" exclaimed Spirit, before taking flight to the air.

"Oh great," said Hope, before following behind Spirit.

"Since you're too wounded, you support us from the ground, okay Felix?" asked Josh.

He nodded, and then Josh took flight.

Round 1 just finished with a draw. Round 2 was about to begin.

Josh flapped his wings against gale speed winds that blew on to him. It was heck of a lot windy up at the top of the Castle.

"JOSH!" exclaimed a voice, making him snap his head toward the direction it came from.

But before he knew it, he was struck hard on the chest. Apparently, the Sorcerer had fired at him a fireball, and had hit him, since he wasn't paying attention. His chest burned painfully as he was spiralling down the air like a plane shot down. The pain overwhelmed him at first, but soon he was able to take control of it again. He spread open his wings and the updraft caused him to go up again, saving him from certain doom. But he immediately veered to the right, as he was about to get hit by a jutting out pillar coming from the Castle.

Saving himself at the nick of time, he looked up and saw sparks fly as Spirit and Hope shot Electric Shots at the Sorcerer while Dark Demex kept pumping icicle after icicle. The Sorcerer on the other hand wasn't breaking a sweat as he fired fireballs, and kept an earth barrier ready almost instantaneously as the electric shot was about to hit him. His reflexes were too much for the Josh's allies.

He needed to do something; anything; anything that can turn the tables around.

Felix on the other hand observed the fight from the ground and had an idea.

"JOSH!" he exclaimed. As the fight went on above them, Josh landed and came towards him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I think we can hit him, if we managed to attack him from a direction where he least expects it!" he said to him, throwing the idea out there.

Josh studied the battle strategy carefully. They tried attacking the Sorcerer from the front, behind and at the side.

What direction was left?

He felt a light bulb inside him lit up as he realized the solution.

"That just might work. Felix, you distract him while I prepare the attack. Once I get in position, immediately distract him," said Josh, hoping their tactic might work.

"You got it!" he said, before running towards a pillar, and preparing himself.

Josh took flight and saw that Dark Demex, Spirit and Hope weren't fairing any better. Most of their attacks were somewhat reflected back at them. Josh saw that all three of them had injuries to bear. If this fight went on any longer, they'd surely lose. They had to take the offensive. Josh flew up high, high up into the nimbus clouds that were sending the lightning bolts everywhere, lighting up the landscape. It was colder up there, and was definitely much dangerous. But they had to try this idea for them to know if it'll work. Felix looked above and saw Josh in position. Almost immediately, he fired fireball after fireball in rapid succession.

Five fireballs, moments later, whizzed through the air and were headed straight to the Sorcerer. He launched an electric shot at Spirit, before turning to the fireballs sent by Felix. Seeing the opportunity, Josh inhaled deeply, now that he thought about this, he wasn't sure if he could actually do it. But he didn't have time for second thoughts as he immediately dipped his head, aiming at the Sorcerer, and opening his widely. He fire icicle, after icicle, one larger than the other. It was raining ice!

The sharp and large icicles, powered by him and the force of gravity, reached terminal velocity and would surely hit someone fatally if not avoided. But avoiding a rain of icicles would be an impossible feat.

And it surely would be tested now.

The rain of icicles went down and was headed straight for the Sorcerer. Being distracted by Felix's fireballs, he didn't have enough time to summon an earth wall and had suffered the consequences.

He tried to fly away as quickly as possible, but didn't escape quickly enough. The icicles sliced through his scales giving him deep gashes. One large icicle whizzed beside his head, missing it in inches. Unfortunately though, the attack crippled him more than he thought it would.

There was a loud shattering sound as one big icicle collided with the red orb of his staff. He cracked before shattering into a million pieces. His eyes widened as this was a serious blow to him. Hope and Spirit on the other hand, saw this happen right before their eyes and earned them one massive headache.

"AHH! MY HEAD!" exclaimed Hope, feeling his head would explode. To him, it felt like his entire head was being cracked open. He closed his eyes, trying to block them out in doing so, but it was futile. The pain was just greatly too much. Then, he shouted in agony, his eyes opening widely before something else happened. The same effect and reaction was happening to Spirit as well.

Series of images passed right before Spirit and Hope's eyes, making them dizzy at the pace it was going. Then slowly, as if the chains of memories connected, Hope's memories flooded back to him like a flash flood. Everything went back to him. He now realized that the main cause of his amnesia was because of the spell that was inflicted upon him by the Sorcerer. And that very same spell had now been negated since the Sorcerer's main device of power, his staff, had gotten destroyed.

Spirit on the other hand was having a revelation in front of him. It was a like a door to his past had been blown wide open. Parts of his memory that seemed bleak now became crystal clear. And to sum it all up, he looked at Hope with a new found look. Hope really was his son. He was the son he never knew he had. He smiled to himself as he imagined the look on Fira and Amy's faces when they realize they had an older brother. The reason why Fira and Amy didn't know they had a brother was because they weren't born yet when the incident happened.

"DANG!" said the Sorcerer angrily as he headed down the platform. He managed to get here undetected since everyone's attention was diverted to Spirit and Hope. But unfortunately for him, as if the air around him ignited, he was soon covered in an inferno of red hot flames.

Felix managed to get behind him sneakily and lit him up in a flamethrower manner. The Sorcerer screamed in pure agony and anguish as he was burning. His robes caught on fire, making it all the more unbearable.

This grabbed everyone's attention again, and Dark Demex roared proudly, seeing the damage his son has done to his enemy. As he flew towards the Sorcerer and Felix, Josh flew back down and checked on Spirit and Hope, whom were both looked stunned.

"Are you two okay?" asked Josh.

"I…I…I remember now…" said Hope. Josh raised a brow.

"What?" he asked.

"Josh…when you broke the Sorcerer's Staff, I think it broke the spell that was causing my amnesia. Thank you," he said, before looking at him thankfully.

"You're welcome," replied Josh, he then looked up as Spirit approached them.

"C'mon son, let's finish this fight," said Spirit, looking at Hope.

"Yes dad," he replied, feeling tears come to his eyes.

He just had to stop them as there would be time for that later. Josh followed behind the two Silver Dragons and landed at the platform. Josh saw Dark Demex blowing sub-zero temperatures at a staggering Sorcerer. His clothes were completely burnt off, revealing a charred looking armor underneath. He must have summoned the armor as his last resort of protection.

"Time to finish this once and for all!" exclaimed Spirit as he fired an electric bolt at him. It arced in the air, and struck the Sorcerer head on. Since he was now wounded badly, the Sorcerer could no longer retain the perfect defense he had earlier.

The bolt struck him, sending him flying to a pillar. He collided with it with a loud thud, making it crack. He slid down the floor, in a heap and lay scattered there for a few moments. He tried to get up, but the damage to him was all too much.

Spirit and Hope ran up to him, and positioned themselves for the finishing blow.

Dark Demex, Felix and Josh watched from the side as energy gathered from Spirit and Hope's maws, forming the familiar looking breath known as Concavity. The Sorcerer could only watch in horror as he was now about to meet his end. Like a true warrior, he stood up proudly, staggering slightly, and prepared himself to the worse that could happen.

"I hope this works," said Josh, looking at it. Double Concavity…if one Concavity, seals the evil and requires another Concavity attack to unseal it…he wondered what would happen if you were struck two Concavities at the same time. Then Josh remembered.

**~FLASHBACK~**

**Time Frame: Chapter 46 Denouement**

"So I decided to go to their house," began the Sorcerer. "And tried to subdue the Silver Dragon named Spirit to get his powers; but he retaliated, this I expected much. But, the way he retaliated wasn't what I expected. He had fired what is known as the Concavity Breath at me. And that breath cleanses evil completely at whoever is targeted. But since I wasn't evil, per se, at the time, but my powers were, it _sealed_ my powers."

**~END OF FLASHBACK~**

Josh realized that, not only that his powers were evil, the Sorcerer _himself_ _is_ evil. So when he gets struck by Concavity, the evil within him would get cleansed, along with his powers getting sealed again. That is the case if there is only one Concavity strike. But, he theorized that, if the target were to get struck twice simultaneously, the act of sealing his powers would then get negated. In turn…something else would happen. Hopefully, that something was actually destroying the Dark Powers and not sealing it.

Firing in sync, the two silver dragons fired an attack of double Concavity. The Sorcerer stood up proudly, before getting struck head on with the attack. Light exploded, blinding almost everyone completely. A strong gale of wind then blew over everyone, catching Josh off guard. He was carried by it, putting him a collision course towards one of the pillars.

"JOSH!" exclaimed Felix, seeing him blown away.

The last thing Josh could see was the light fading, before he hit his head badly, earning him a severe concussion. Then he felt himself plummet downwards, down the castle before he blacked out.

* * *

**Author's Notes: To all my readers:**

**_IMPORTANT:_**

**I recently made a POLL on my profile. Please visit it, and _PLEASE_ VOTE. Voting ends when this story, _The Blue Dragon Book II, _ends.**

* * *

**Please take some time to R&R.**

**Please take some time to visit the website.**

**And favorite it, along with the author.**


	48. Chapter 48 Under the Armor

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Well, here's another update for you all!**

**Alec: Wow, that was fast!**

**Richer: Yeah...**

**Josh: Oh my..**

**Felix: What is it? **

**Hope: Look down... **

**Zayril: Well, why don't we cut to the chase and just say the disclaimers!**

**Alec, Josh and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Hope: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair.**

* * *

Chapter 48

Under the Armor

Josh woke up feeling like his entire head had spun around in a wash cycle. His head was spinning more than the dryer, and to make it worse, he had one massive headache. He groaned as he tried to move his body, which earned him painful responses. It would seem the battle they had at Cynder's Castle earned him a lot of wounds. He tried to sit up, but regretted doing so, feeling his back pain him massively. The pain made him remember a few things.

He remembered being blown away as the shockwave that came from the Double Conavity struck him. That pillar impact must have broken his spine if he were in human form. Luckily his wings were there to cushion the impact. Though, now that he tried to move his wings. They were in clearly no condition to fly at the given moment.

Overall, he was really screwed up.

But still, screwed up badly or not, he still had to get up.

Opening his eyes, he realized he was now at what seemed like a bedroom inside a Temple. He was no longer at Cynder's Castle. How was long was he asleep? What was the outcome of the battle? He deducted as much that it came out quite good, seeing as he _was_ still alive. Though, he wondered what had happened to the rest of the gang. Hope and Felix would have probably collapsed from the exhaustion they had received. They _were_ tortured to the border of their lives, and had joined in the fight of fighting the Sorcerer.

That would have been exhausting; any normal being would have fallen down tired after all of that.

As he slowly sat up, he looked up as the door at the front of the room swung open. A red dragoness, with a yellow underbelly entered. She looked familiar. She actually was. Josh recognized her as Demex's mate, Fira. She looked around and saw her staring at him.

"Oh! You're awake!" she said, going over to him. "How are you feeling?"

"Better…I feel like I've been hit by a boulder…" he replied, rubbing his head. There was still a headache that just wouldn't subside.

"I see. That's one thing red gems can't heal I guess," she said.

"Where are the others?" asked Josh, immediately cutting to the chase.

"Do not worry, they're fine; they're at the Dining Hall," answered Fira.

"That's good to hear," said Josh.

"It is; and it would good news to them once they know that you're awake," said Fira.

"How long was I asleep anyway?" asked Josh.

But before Fira could answer the question, the door swung open again and this time, a yellow scaled dragoness entered. She had a golden underbelly and her left cheek had the sign of a lightning bolt. It was none other than Fira's sister, Amy.

She looked surprised seeing her sister there, along with Josh who was now standing up. But he staggered and dipped slightly to the side, making Amy rush towards him.

"Be careful!" she said helping him up.

"Is everything alright in there?" called a voice from outside. Another dragon went in. He had sky blue scales and sported a faint blue underbelly. It was Amy's mate, Delnok.

"Josh! You're awake!" he exclaimed, seeing his brother's best friend awake and well.

"Yeah…just woke up a few minutes ago," he answered.

"And tried to stand up for that matter," said Fira.

"Not to mention staggered," said Amy. Delnok chuckled.

"That's enough ladies. I think the male can stand on his own four paws now." Fira and Amy let go of Josh and he precariously tipped to the side, his balance still wavering. But eventually, Josh got his footing, the dizziness and the headache he had earlier slowly ebbing away.

"I think it's time you see the others too now," said Delnok. "Follow me."

The four of them headed out, with Amy standing close to Delnok, naturally. Josh looked around and noted that there weren't any noticeable changes in the area. Even for being gone for one year, it didn't do much effect on the buildings.

As they walked, Josh remembered a question he wanted to ask.

"How long was I asleep?" asked Josh. Fira was the one that answered him.

"You've been asleep for two days," she answered in a matter of fact tone.

"What!" exclaimed Josh.

"Yeah; the concussion on your head that we found out when they brought you here turned out to be more severe than we thought," said Amy.

"Good thing we had red gems," said Delnok. "If we didn't…your wounds would have killed you. You had a lot of cuts and bruises that were bleeding quite badly."

"As for my son, I thank you for protecting him," said Fira.

Josh wondered for a bit then remembered; Fira _was_ Felix's mother.

"No worries; I had a promise to live up to. Demex made me swear to protect him, and I was just doing my job," answered Felix.

"Still, Josh, you fought the Sorcerer; he's one strong guy. To think, it was just his staff was his weakness. Throughout the year he head terrorized the Dragon Realms, much like how Spyro did before, we never thought of that," said Amy.

"Good thing we had Josh here improvise!" said Delnok, smacking him at the back with his tail.

"Ow…" said Josh, feeling his back sore.

"Sorry…mind sparring with me when you have the free time?" asked Delnok.

"Spar?" asked Josh. "Uh…"

He didn't really know how to respond to a question like that. He wasn't really the type to train.

"Uh…okay," said Josh.  
"Great then!" exclaimed Delnok. "You can teach me how you did that Icicle Rain!"

A few moments later, the four of them arrived at the Dining Hall. The door swung open, revealing it to be lively and quite active. Josh was surprised to find almost everyone he knew being there. Demex was there, sitting lethargically at the chair, no doubt trying to relax as his wounds would have been paining him. Felix was no doubt seated beside him, enjoying now to be finally reunited with his father after there long adventure. Demila on the other hand was listening intently, beside Serenity and Damien as Felix retold their adventure.

Malefor was also there, but Nomex was nowhere to be seen, along with Volteer, Cyril and Terrador. Same goes for Spyro and Cynder, they weren't seem to be present. Hope on the other hand was sitting with Spirit and Krystal at the corner, no doubt catching up for the times.

Felix looked up as the door swung opened, he grinned as he saw his best friend enter.

"Josh!" exclaimed Felix, and then rushed towards him. "You're okay."

"I told you he would be," said a voice behind him. It was Malefor.

"You're always right dad," said Delnok.

"Have you finished telling them your story yet Felix?" asked Fira.

"No, we're just getting to the good part!" he said eagerly.

"Now Felix, try not to give them any ideas," said Amy, as he walked with Delnok over to the kids.

A claw tapped Josh at the shoulder and he turned around. Silver scaled paws wrapped around him as he was hugged tightly by his other best friend Hope.

"_I_…_can't…breathe!"_ he said, gasping for air as Hope hugged him tightly.

"Sorry!" said Hope, letting go, as everyone else chuckled. "Thank goodness you woke up! You got me worried."

"Well, stop worrying, I'm fine now," said Josh.

"Josh, I can't thank you enough for reuniting us with our son," said Krystal, coming up in front of him.

"It was sure heck of a surprise for us to find out," said Fira.

"Yeah, but then again, I've always wanted an older brother," said Amy.

"Well, now you do; I'm part of the family," said Hope.

Everyone was happy as they saw that Josh was now fully recovered and his wellbeing quite well. As others chatted, Malefor and Fira left the room.

"What happened back before anyway? You became…possessed…I could've called you Dark Demex," said Josh as he sat next to Demex at the chairs.

"I don't know Josh…I guess every dragon can become 'Dark' as you say it, as long as they're pushed to it," said Demex.

"The instinct to protect one's own child eh?" asked Josh.

"Yes…he means a lot to me," said Demex, looking at Felix as he turned storyteller to Demila, Damien and Serenity.

Though a question kept bugging at Josh; Josh kept wondering where Spyro and Cynder were.

"Where's your brother?" asked Josh to Demex as he finished eating his breakfast.

"Oh, Spyro?" he counter asked.

"Yeah, out of curiosity, where is he?" he asked.

"Oh, he's with Cynder and Fira, talking to him," answered Demex almost flatly.

"I see…" said Josh, not noticing anything wrong.

The message took a few moments for it to set in to Josh.

_Wait a minute…him? Who's 'him'?_

"Who do you mean by 'him'?" asked Josh.

"Oh, I mean, the Sorcerer," said Demex. Josh stared at him, his eyes blinking and expression filled with shock and surprise.

"That is bootleg! What are you talking about?" asked Josh, completely puzzled at what Demex was saying.

"Oh…sorry, I forgot you weren't there," said Demex.

**~FLASHBACK~**

**Time Frame: Chapter 47, Finishing the Fight, Demex's POV**

Dark Demex had a look off horror on his face as he saw his best friend get blown away by the shockwave caused by the Double Concavity.

"JOSH!" exclaimed Felix, seeing him blown away. Then out of the blue, Felix jumped of the edge of the platform and followed after him.

"FELIX!" he exclaimed but refrained from jumping after him.

He saw that Felix had managed to catch Josh as he fell, and land at a clearing nearby. At least they were okay. Now as Demex saw that his son was far away from the Sorcerer at the moment, the instinct to protect his child slowly faded away, along with the darkness that had apparently engulfed him. In a few moments, he returned to the Demex he originally was.

And as Demex turned his head, the light from the Double Concavity slowly faded away revealing a slumped heap on the ground. Hope, Spirit, and Demex carefully approached the heap and saw that it was the Sorcerer. But this time, he wasn't wearing his robe anymore, nor sported his signature knight's helmet. Instead, this time, he was wearing full body dragon armor, complete with covered helmet. And as lightning struck around them, it illuminated the area, and Demex saw that the color was green.

**~END OF FLASHBACK~**

"He identified himself as Adrian," said Demex. "Fira is currently checking him right now if he still is evil."

"The Sorcerer's real name is Adrian?" asked Josh.  
"Yeah," answered Demex.

"I see…so he lived…" said Josh. "Adrian…where have I heard that name before…" he said to himself.

As Josh thought to himself, he looked up when the door opened. It was Malefor. He entered the room with a dragoness. She had a light green scales and an underbelly that was somewhat orangey, at the same time had a faint brown look, making it the same color as dirt. Everyone was surprised and was wondering who she was. Josh stood up and walked up to them.

"Hello," he greeted, being friendly he was. He then proceeded to ask the question everyone had on their minds. "Who are you?"

Malefor on the other hand responded.

"Don't you recognize her Josh?" asked Malefor.

"No, do I know you?" asked Josh to her.

"You probably don't recognize me…since I'm not wearing my knight's helmet," she answered, in an almost sweet sounding voice.

"Knight's helmet?" asked Demex.

Then at that moment, Spyro, Cynder and Fira arrived.

"Oh, so I see you've met her," said Spyro.

"Who is she?" asked Hope curiously.

"She's the Sorcerer!" said Cynder, throwing the identity finally out there.

Everyone's head turned to face the dragoness.

"Your name is Adrian?" asked Josh.

"Yes, it is. My name is Adrian. I am the Sorcerer, the one you fought. It seems I have a lot of explaining to do," she said bashfully.

Felix, Hope, Spirit, Demex and Josh all had dumbfounded looks on their faces.

"The Sorcerer…is a girl!" exclaimed Josh.

* * *

**Author's Notes: To all my readers:**

**_IMPORTANT:_**

**I recently made a POLL on my profile. Please visit it, and _PLEASE_ VOTE. Voting ends when this story, _The Blue Dragon Book II, _ends.**

**Honestly guys, you didn't see that one coming did you?**

* * *

**Please take some time to R&R.**

**Please take some time to visit the website.**

**And favorite it, along with the author.**


	49. Chapter 49 Epilogue

**~Backstage~**

**Zayril: Hey Hey! Zayril here with the _last_ chapter of TBD BK: II!**

**Alec: WHAT!**

**Josh: NO WAY!**

**Zayril: Yes way.**

**Felix: It's going to end now...**

**Hope: Don't worry, judging from Z, he's got something planned.**

**Richer: I can't take it anymore! I want to read it!**

**Zayril: Disclaimer time then! **

**Alec, Josh and Felix****: ****Viperwatcher owns nothing except his characters.**

**Richer and Hope: Other canon characters are owned by their respective companies.**

**Zayril: To people who don't like the story, just don't read it.**

**EXTRA DISCLAIMERS: ****Richer1992 owns the characters Spirit, Krystal, Amy and Despair.**

* * *

Chapter 49

Epilogue

Once all the surprise of how The Sorcerer was a girl was all over, it didn't take long for the explanation to come. Josh was actually really surprised at how it turned out. Adrian's situation was practically the same as Malefor. She was under the control of the Dark Spells. Adrian, as she told them, was actually a young, bright mage dragon, who lived at the Paleo Dragon Realms. Adrian had become corrupted when she had tried to learn the higher and more dangerous spells of magic, much like how Malefor became corrupted. It wasn't her that was evil, but it was her powers; meaning she was innately good. She even told this herself.

**~FLASHBACK~**

**Time Frame: Chapter 46, Denouement**

"And that breath cleanses evil completely at whoever is targeted. But since I wasn't evil, per se, at the time, but my powers were, it _sealed_ my powers."

**~END OF FLASHBACK~**

The evil that was corrupting her slowly took root at her mind set and urged her that, to become more powerful, one needed MORE POWER. And that's where Spirit came in. The Dark Spells told her that there were other sources of power that was accessible by Portal Magic. After some much coaxing, she went to the Neo Dragon Realms, her mind set about 70% evil and 30% Good, since it WAS slowly taking root.

Josh thought for a moment. That was how she putted it anyway.

He looked up at the night sky as he sat at the edge of the balcony, overlooking the skyline of Warfang, the Dragon City. He sat there, gathering his thoughts, remembering everything he had learned earlier. It was a bit confusing, but after giving it some thought, it actually made sense. So he relayed it in his mind again.

After Adrian arrived at the Neo Dragon Realms, she disguised herself in a Knight's Helmet, along with robes to not let anyone see her. Then all the stuff happened about her getting hit by Concavity by Spirit. In turn, SEALING the Dark Spells, which was the SOURCE of EVIL in her; but, since she STILL had some good in her, and wasn't fully evil, the evil in her didn't get cleanse. She wasn't exactly fully fledged evil when she came. She still had a good conscience. The Concavity just targeted the _most_ evil thing in her and cleansed it, that being her Dark Spells, thus sealing them completely. With this concept in mind, the evil within her still existed, that being the evil that took root in her mind BECAUSE of the Dark Spells, and slowly, she became the Sorcerer completely.

Josh thought once again, as he replayed the events earlier today. It didn't make any sense earlier, but now it did.

The reason why Adrian appeared at the Samotoc spell was because the projected self of the Sorcerer was actually Adrian. It was the Dark Spells being projected when they saw the Sorcerer.

There were two beings in one body; who would have thought of it.

Josh turned his head and looked up as he saw Adrian walking up to him.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked.

"No reason, just gathering my thoughts," he replied, looking back to the city skyline.

"I see…" said Josh.

Then a question came to his mind.

"Are you ever going back?" asked Josh. "To the Paleo Dragon Realms?"

"Me? I don't think so. I prefer it here. Much more…better," said Adrian. "And besides, I still owe you." Josh looked at her curiously.

"You…owe me?" he asked, puzzled by her statement. "What do you mean?"

"You saved my life Josh. I am forever in your debt. And I completely do not mind serving you," she said, making Josh blink completely surprised. "I will do whatever your wishes are; just say the word."

Josh was completely taken aback by the position he was in. Did she mean that…she…was now his personal slave? Apparently, Adrian, was _really_ that grateful, to go to the point of giving her life of servitude to him. Josh didn't even know what to do, but just nod dumbly.

After a few minutes of silence, another question popped into Josh's head.

"Hey, Adrian?" he asked.

"What is it?" she replied.

"Aren't you supposed to be…you know…a purple dragon? Not a green dragon like the one you are now? I thought the Sorcerer was a purple dragon, and a male. How come you are who you are now?"

Adrian smiled.

"Interesting question," she said. "It's simple actually. It's because of the Dark Spells. The Dark Spells possess…a…or should I say have their own persona; whoever gets possessed, transforms into that persona. It would seem that the creator of the Dark Spells was a purple dragon, thus why."

Josh nodded, understanding it completely. Another moment passed, silence being shared between the two of them as they each were lost in their own thoughts.

Then, the ice was broken when Adrian sighed.

"Well Josh, I am tired. I am heading in now," she said, before heading inside the Temple again.

"Good night," said Josh.

"Good night to you too," said Adrian. As she went in, she passed by Demex whom was looking for Josh.

"There you are," said Demex, sitting beside him.

"Oh, Demex, what is it?" asked Josh.

"I have an important question I have to ask you," said Demex. "And it's important you think about this."

Josh nodded.

"Are you on planning on staying?" asked Demex. "Wait, let me rephrase that. Are you planning on living here, in the Dragon Realms?" he asked him.

Josh thought about it. It was that question again. He remembered being asked that very same question before.

**~FLASHBACK~**

**Time Frame: Chapter 42, Second Entry**

"Are you coming back?" asked Jennifer.

After some deep thinking, he replied.

"I…I don't know. I'm not sure yet. I might, I might not," answered Josh.

**~END OF FLASHBACK~**

That was his answer. And now, considering the argument he had back then, and everything that has happened. He now knew the answer to the question.

"Demex I guess…I'm not staying," he answered. Demex looked a bit surprised.

"Why is that?" he asked.

"Well, I like it here and all. It's wonderful. It's everything I've ever wanted in my life, I admit that. But now, after everything that has happened. I guess…all I can say is that. I have no more reason to stay. I don't really have any family, like you, or a mate, like you. My family is back at the Other World. Yours is here Demex. I don't really have any commitments to sustain here. And besides, even though I am happy here, I'll feel homesick." He explained to him.

After a moment's silence, Demex turned to face him after looking up at the skies to think.

"I understand. But Josh…" said Demex.

"What?" he asked.

"Do visit every now and then. I'm sure Felix will definitely cry about this," he said with a smirk.

Josh chuckled.

"Okay, I promise," he said, before knocking each other's paws; a kind of dragon high five.

"When are you leaving anyway?" asked Demex.

"Tomorrow morning; I don't want to see Felix cry. It'll break my heart," said Josh. Demex chuckled.

"Okay then. I'll see you off tomorrow. Night," he said, before heading in to the Temple.

Josh sighed, and stared back at the Warfang skyline. He'll miss this view. He'll miss being able to fly, use his powers and basically kick-ass. He'll miss becoming the very definition of bad ass itself. He'll miss it all. But then again, every now and then he'll able to experience it. So it wasn't half that bad.

He then yawned, feeling tired from all the day's activity. It was time to get some sleep.

As he stood up, he felt a feeling. He felt his spine tingle as a cold breeze blew over him.

"That's odd…there's not supposed to be any wind…" he trailed as he looked up.

His eyes widened, jaw opened slightly, his breath slowly becoming nervous. He felt his entire body shook with fear at the sight before him. He tried to pin his thoughts down with words but no sound came from his maw. He was literally paralyzed in fear.

Standing before him, at the doorway, was none other than…

…The Sorcerer.

His Knight's Helmet shined as the moonlight reflected of it. His cape lay rest behind him as he leaned on the wall of the Temple, in a lethargic manner.

How was it possible that he was still alive?

"H-h-h-how…are…yo-yo-yo…" Josh stuttered, completely faltering. Were all their efforts in vain? But how was that possible? Adrian was with them now.

"Surprised?" asked the Sorcerer, his voice making him shiver all over. Josh couldn't even reply.

"Tsk…Tsk…Tsk…" The Sorcerer shook his head. "Josh, you'd think I'd be that easy to kill?"

Josh just blinked. He honestly did think that.

"Well I'm sorry. I'm not. And besides Josh, whatever you may do. Whatever you may come up with your friends; whatever crazy idea you may attempt to kill me. You'll never succeed," said the Sorcerer.

"And…why is that?" asked Josh, finally mustering his voice again.

"Because…" he trailed. He then did the oddest thing. He placed his paws on his helmet, and then slowly, took it off.

Josh probably nearly had a heart attack at that moment, at the speed his heart was pumping. He was horrified at the sight before him. The Sorcerer looked up, and smiled at him.

Josh felt like he was looking into a mirror. Before him, the dragon under the armor…was…_him_. Staring right at him was _him_. The dragon had sky blue scales and a dark blue underbelly. His eyes were the same as his, indigo color. It was literally like looking into a mirror. The Sorcerer, had removed his Knight's helmet and showed that the dragon underneath was him. His mind was now in a complete flux.

"Now do you see Josh?" The Sorcerer asked him, his tone getting darker. Even his _voice_ was the same. "_I_ am _you_. _I_ exist _because _of _you_."

"Th-this…this…this…can't be!" Josh exclaimed.

"Unfortunately…it is," said the Sorcerer. "As long as _you_ breathe, _you_ live, _you_ _exist_. _I _exist. You can't kill me." The Sorcerer then chuckled to himself.

"How _can_ you kill me? I'm you."

Josh's mind felt like pulp. He was shock down to the very core of his life.

"Well," said the Sorcerer, donning on the helmet again. "Enjoy the peace while it lasts Josh. It won't be for long."

And with that, he swished his cape, black thick smoke exploded out of thin air, covering him. Josh coughed as he swatted the smoke away from him. In just a matter of moments, it was gone, along with any traces of the Sorcerer being there.

Josh felt himself falter to the ground; he felt like his mind was run over by a truck as it tried to process the event that had transpired. He didn't even notice someone come up to him as he laid there, staring down the ground.

"Hey! Hey! Josh? Are you okay?" asked the voice. Only then he looked up, once he was being shaken by the shoulder.

It was Demex.

"Is everything alright? You look white as sheet? Did you see a ghost or something?" asked Demex.

If only Demex was there.

"I…I…" said Josh as he stood up. He didn't even know where to begin.

"What's wrong?" asked Demex. Josh looked at him.

"Demex, you know what I said earlier? About having no reason to stay?" asked Josh.

"Yeah…what about it?"

"Well…I was just given one."

As he said this to Demex, Josh's mind was ringing with one question he honestly couldn't think of an answer for.

And that was…

"How can you kill someone if that someone is you?"

0 0 0 0 0 THE END 0 0 0 0 0

* * *

**~Backstage~**

Zayril: Alec, do you still have that remote that I can borrow?

Alec: Yup. Here you go. *hands him the remote*

Zayril: I'll miss the you man.

Richard: Likewise.

Zayril: Bye, see you next time. *presses the remote and send Richer back to his respective area. He turns to Alec.*

Zayril: Here you go Alec. You teleport yourself.

Alec: Bye Zayril. It's been fun being here. *Zayril nods* *Alec then disappears*

* * *

**Author's Notes: **** Wow guys, just wow. I am surprised at the amount of how this story went. I never knew I could reach 217+ reviews! I totally thank you all for reading my story. Without you guys, this wouldn't be possible. If I can individually hug you and thank you one by one, I'd do it. I can't stress it enough guys. **

**********As for the poll results on my account, here it is!**

**********~What do you guys want me to write about next?~**

**********New Spyro Fic : 9**

**********TBD III & AHV II: 6**

**********Original Fiction: 3**

**********Kingdom Hearts: 2**

**********Resident Evil: 1**

**And every other option there: 0**

**The numbers are in and it's quite obvious what had won. Though, like I had said, I am going to use this poll only as a guide of what you guys want to read. The final decision of what I will write next still is up to me. But this poll will be considered greatly, just so you know. I'm not sure when the new story will be posted, but I will post it eventually.**

**Moving onto Special Thanks:  
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**Special Thanks:  
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**I would like to give this section for the people who helped with this Fan Fiction and those who read it through the end:**

**1. Of course my family.**

**2. To the authors who were featured at the ~Backstage~, those would be: Alec the Dark Angel (Alec) and Richer1992 (Richard) Thank you guys for being there when I needed help.  
**

**3. To the people who found the time to read this fan fic and give reviews as well. I thank you for your time.**

******4. Richer1992 ~ Without his OCs, this story wouldn't have reached it this far.**

**Oh, and before I forget, be sure to periodically check the _NOTICES_ board on my profile. That's where I'll release the date on when my new story is going to premier. That's all.  
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**TIMELINE:**

**This Fanfic was made on July 11 2010 and was finished on March 22 2011.  
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**Please visit my forums!  
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**Please take some time to R&R.**

**And favorite it, along with the author!**


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